Finding Your Voice
by Evranakus
Summary: It's not a word, or a command. It's making yourself known, and choosing your own destiny. After the trauma of the Battle of Beacon, choices must be made as the world crumbles around them.
1. Chapter 1

"You have to stop her! You have to save her!"

The voice was faint, but rang out around her. Where was she? Darkness surrounded her. Each step seemed impossible, as though she were in quicksand. It felt like she was being compressed by darkness on all sides. All she could discern was the faint, static cry repeating all around her.

"She doesn't stand a chance! You have to save her!"

She tried to call out to the voice, the desperate boy who sounded familiar, but who she could not place. But when she tried to ask the void around her, her voice caught in her throat. "Hnn," was all she could struggle to say. Her voice was all wrong, light, airy, but almost grainy at the same time.

"You have to save Pyrrha!" Of course! She remembered now. Poor Jaune. He sounded absolutely terrified through her scroll. As the realization struck her, two figures became illuminated in the distance. That woman, Cinder, holding a bow to her friend, an arrow pierced through her heart.

Weiss tried to call out, cry, something. But once more, her voice would not leave her. What was wrong with her?! She had to save her friend. She had to-

"PYRRHA!" Weiss turned her head and saw her friend and partner, Ruby, with anguish on her face the likes of which she'd never seen. Pale energies seemed to warp around her, and something terrifying became of Ruby Rose. The energy seemed to warp her features, her nose elongating, fierce teeth filling her maw. No, no, this was impossible! This couldn't-

Weiss didn't have much longer to consider what was happening to her partner, as the energy surrounding her glared into an even brighter nova, blinding her. When she could see again, the abyss had parted, and she could see the remains of her headmaster's office. Acrid, burning smoke filled her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit. The place was collapsing on itself in a burning haze, metal. She tried to find Ruby in the toxic mist of burning metal. Where was she? What was going on? But still, as though she were still in the void, her steps were heavy and sluggish. It was a screeching of metal that broke her search. The wall behind her was careening down. Why couldn't she move? Was this really it? She was doomed to die to gravity? Not even to a great and powerful foe, but to a slab of stone and metal? With resignation, she awaited impact…

* * *

She was greeted by a dim, phosphorescent light as she startled awake. With heavy, gasping breaths, Weiss tried to take in her surroundings at a mile a minute. The first thing she noticed was the breathing mask on her face and the IV drips jammed into her arms. She was lying down in a hospital bed. Dull, white walls surrounded her. There was a bed opposite her on the other wall, with a familiar, blonde patient asleep in it. Her whole body had a dull ache, and her head was stuffy. What was- of course. She had gone to the tower with Ruby. To save Pyrrha. And they watched her die right in front of their eyes. But what else-

"Weiss!" The light voice of her partner interrupted her musings. Weiss flinched as her partner latched onto her from aside her bed. Ruby was attired in a medical gown, but otherwise seemed no worse for wear.

"Ah, Miss Schnee, you're awake," a young, kindly looking nurse with dark hair and green eyes peeked over from another patient near the door on the other side of the room. The woman hit a pager button before walking over to the two. "Now, Miss Schnee, can you tell me how you're feeling?"

 _I've felt better_ , Weiss said. Or, tried to say. A light, scratching cough was all she could manage to utter. _What?_

She looked with eyes wide open to Ruby, who had detached herself and was now sitting back on her bed, which was situated next to Weiss'. Her partner was looking down at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. Weiss tried again, with more emphasis. _I've felt better_. Once more, all she could speak was a breathy cough _. What's going on? What happened to me? Why can't I talk? LET ME TALK!_

The nurse sighed. "I see it's as we feared," she told Weiss, jotting a note onto her clipboard. "Miss Schnee, you suffered considerable nerve damage. It's not my pay grade to ask what exactly happened, but you took a lot of blunt force trauma. You also inhaled a significant amount of smoke. It's a miracle you're even alive with the trauma suffered to your trachea."

 _What happened up there?_ Weiss glanced back to Ruby, who still sat in her bed, staring down at shaking hands.

"Now, I'll just need to do a few basic tests, Miss Schnee, to see how your cognitive and optical functions are working," the nurse pulled up a chair and sat down. She held up her index finger. "Now, follow my finger." Weiss indulged the nurse in her tests, but a panic was growing inside her. When the nurse finally seemed satisfied, she stood up. "Well, the good news, Miss Schnee, is that you seem quite alert and your cognitive functions and eyesight seem to be in good working order, especially for all the painkillers you're on. I'll be back in a bit, try to relax for now." And with that, the nurse excused herself, exiting out the door on the far wall.

A heavy silence fell upon the room. Weiss stared across the room, realizing it was her teammate, Yang Xiao Long who was in the bed opposite her, sleeping. Weiss found her eyes drifting to her teammate's right arm, severed halfway between the elbow and shoulder. _This was all wrong!_ Yang, crippled. Penny, dead. Pyrrha, dead. The academy, a bastion of safety, guarded and taught by the best, overrun.

"Weiss, I'm so sorry!" Weiss was shaken out of her thoughts by Ruby jumping off her bed and practically faceplanting onto Weiss'. "This is all my fault! We were there at the tower and then Pyrrha and, and I don't know what all happened, but now you're like this and EVERYTHING'S WRONG…" Ruby trailed off, sniffling. Weiss could feel the wetness of tears on her arm. Weiss couldn't understand. She couldn't remember what happened at Ozpin's office after they saw Pyrrha sentenced for death. _There's no way that dream could be right…it was just a nightmare, after all._ She reached out and wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her tighter. She still felt so tired. " _We'll figure this out,"_ she thought to herself. _But for now… for now…_ her thoughts drifted as sleep overtook her once again.

* * *

Weiss found herself awake once more, still in the confines of the stuffy hospital. She still had IV drips hanging from her, but her breathing mask had since been removed. She could hear a conversation taking place outside the room, with a voice that instantly put her on alert. She sat up in her bed like a bolt, feeling rather like a caged animal at that moment. _What is he doing here?_ Across the room, a sullen looking Yang glanced over at her, her normally expressive eyes duller than Weiss remembered. Ruby was still awake, and glanced back over at her nervously after she had clearly been looking out the door at her slightly better angle. And in he walked.

"My dear Weiss!" _What_. Into the room entered her father, Jacques Weiss, arms held out with a… dare she say, _warm_ look on his face? Her father strolled up to her bedside, his posture still stiff and upright as she remembered. And then, if she hadn't endured enough bizarreness and insanity over the last few days, the man… _reached down and hugged her_. The world actually had gone insane. Over his shoulder Weiss could see a wistful smile on Ruby's face before he pulled back into his normal posture. "I scheduled a flight over as soon as I saw that barbarity on the television," he continued. "But I had no idea things would have gone so far south at the festival." Jacques signed before turning to Ruby, glancing down at here with curious eyes. "Now, you must be Miss Rose, I am correct?" He asked her.

"Er, um, yes sir," Ruby replied with a small voice. "Ruby Rose."

"As I understand it, you are the one responsible for my daughter being here right now," Jacques continued. Ruby's eyes widened slightly for a moment before turning her head away from him. "As opposed to being in a morgue." Ruby's eyes shot back wide and turned herself back to face him. His eyes were closed, and his mouth betrayed a hint of a frown. "I've lost more than I would care to admit to those savages in the White Fang," he continued. "Colleagues, board members, friends. So, Miss Rose," he said, his eyes opening again. "You have my sincerest gratitude that my daughter yet lives. Thank you, thank you dearly."

"Heh…. Yeah it's no problem. Weiss is a good friend, it's what we do," Ruby muttered, scratching the back of her head.

"Now, Weiss, I promise I'll return soon, but I have to get back to the main floor. The hospital staff is quite insistent on your stay for at least a couple more days, but we ought to return home as soon as possible. To say I'm trusting of the security here in Vale at this point would be, well, an understatement," he concluded with a twitch of his mustache before turning on his heel to leave.

"He doesn't seem that bad," Ruby commented after Jacques had well cleared down the hallway. "I had kinda been expecting a lot more yelling, or something." Weiss just shook her head, eyes closed. _No. He wants something._ "Oh!" Ruby shook her out of her thoughts. "I know you're having a bit of trouble, uh, talking for now, but in the meantime, I got this from one of the nurses." She left a notebook and a pen on the table next to Weiss. "If you need anything or want to… chat, I guess. We're here for you. Right, Yang?" She called out to her sister across the room.

A short frown made its way onto Yang's face temporarily before lifting itself. "Yeah, yeah. _We're_ here for you…" Weiss raised an eyebrow at Yang's emphasis, giving a questioning look to Ruby, who frowned at her sister's comment.

"We don't know where Blake is…" she trailed. "Apparently the three of us got taken by ambulance out here to Vale, and somewhere along the way we lost her."

"We didn't lose her, she _ditched_ us!" Yang shot back with emphasis. "Again!" She twisted her head to look out the window next to her bed. "You and Ruby were out cold when Qrow came back with you. I'm bleeding out from this… thing," she gestured by giving her stump of a right arm a wave. "So instead of being here to support us, or hell even get some medical attention of her own she bailed on us."

A heavy silence fell upon the air as Ruby and Weiss took in just how bitter their teammate was. Weiss picked up the notebook Ruby left her and began scribbling a note. _What about everyone else?_

"Well, the rest of team JNPR were sent here too, but none of them were hurt too bad, so they got to leave the next day. Nora and Ren stopped by a couple times while you were still out. Jaune's… around, but he's taking it pretty hard." Another silence fell on the group. "Why…" Ruby continued. "Why weren't we there faster?" She said, curling her hands back into her lap. "And, I don't know what happened, Weiss, but I'm pretty sure this is my fault too. Something happened to me in Ozpin's office. That giant grimm is a frozen popsicle. Qrow wouldn't tell me what happened, he's the one that rescued us from the tower. But I know, you were right there with me, fine, and now… now…"

The sight of her leader, the peppy, annoying girl who blew whistles for wakeup so they could decorate, like this, was too much. Weiss reached a hand out and placed it atop Ruby's clenched hands. Ruby looked up at Weiss, her eyes red. Weiss just shook her head and, stretching out from her bed, placed her other hand atop Ruby's and gave her the most earnest gaze she could muster. _It's okay.  
_

At that moment, the door to their room slammed open, and a bright eyed, blonde faunus with a tail came to a screeching halt in the doorframe with a slightly manic grin.

"Hey guys, look who I found!"

* * *

Hi y'all. Bit of a plot bunny here, just getting things going. Want to keep things short for the first chapter.

Music of the day: Fundamentum - Lesiem.


	2. Chapter 2

_On the outskirts of Vale_

It hadn't been a planned stop here at Forrester's Inn, but the gray skies and impending rain had sent Blake Belladonna seeking a reprieve. The black-haired girl was nursing a cup of hot tea in the corner of the main hall, watching out the window as the few people still on the streets began scattering as the rain picked up. While it was bothersome to be delayed in getting out of Vale like this, there was something oddly soothing about the rain, at least as long as she wasn't actually getting drenched. _I suppose I wasn't going to be finding a boat out for a few days anyways_ , she mused to herself. She pulled out the book she bought after leaving ; after the disaster at beacon, she hadn't had time to recover her old ones. She was vaguely aware that someone entered the inn by the tingling of the bell. Light steps became just perceptibly louder as they creaked on the polished wooden floor, causing Blake to raise her eyes from the pages of her book. The blonde, youthful faunus standing in front of her caused her golden eyes to narrow.

"Boy, you're a tough one to track down, Miss Belladonna," the boy said with a cheerful grin on his face as he sauntered up. "But hey, you know what they say, you can't hide from the Sun," he finished with a wink. Blake closed her eyes and sighed at Sun Wukong's humor. She didn't realize her mistake until she opened her eyes and Sun had already clambered onto the chair opposite her at the table.

"Sun, what are you doing here?" she asked bluntly. "If I'm not trying to get tracked down it's for a reason. So, why?"

"Oh, I think the better question," Sun began with a twirl of his finger as he began helping himself to a cup of tea by pouring it with his tail. "Why are _you_ here? You know, instead of with your friends and teammates. They're in pretty bad shape, ya know."

"They're strong," Blake responded, tilting her gaze away from Sun's and out the window again. "They'll survive. And besides, it'll be easier if I'm not there. Simple as that."

"Oh? Strong? You know Weiss is in emergency care, right? Crushed esophagus, or something to that effect? Or had you already bailed at that point?" Sun asked, his cheerful tone betraying the sting in his words as he stirred some sugar into his tea. Blake's eyes shifted back to him for just a moment.

"Look-"

"Or, you know, there was the bit about how Yang got her arm chopped off and she nearly bled out on the campus," Sun continued, taking a sip of his tea. "Huh, not bad."

"You added five teaspoons of sugar to it," Blake noted.

"Is that a lot?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Just a bit."

"Right, so, yeah, whatcha doing all the way out here? Don't care about'em anymore? I find that a little hard to believe."

Blake narrowed her eyes at him again. "I do care, it's just… they're safer without me. And I want to get away from this. I need to get away from _him_. If I stick around, it'll just draw everyone into my past, just like what happened with Yang."

"Him, being the guy that hurt you and Yang, I take it." Blake nodded. "Mind telling me about the guy?"

"Yes. I do."

"Aww, come on. I gotta know who my competition is," Sun said with a grin that disappeared when Blake shot daggers back him. "Okay, fine," he relented, holding his hands up in surrender. "But still, did you ask them about it? Maaaaaybe, I don't know, get some input from them?"

"It's not _their_ choice to make!" Blake shot back with a hint of aggression. "It's my past, and it'll get them killed."

"So because you've got some stuff in your past that you're not proud of, scared of, whatever, you're going to just vanish from your teammates? You can tell yourself that they're strong and they don't need you, and you'd be only half-right. They are strong, your team was awesome. But they _do_ need you Blake, at least right now."

"What would you even know about having a past like that, Sun?" Blake shot back. "Mr. Sunshine wants to lecture me about letting go of my past, that's rich."

"Oh, that's where we're going, eh?" Sun's visage darkened noticeably as he opted to pour himself another cup of tea and began swirling some sugar in it. "Not gonna lie, that was a bit of a stinger I hadn't thought I'd hear from you of all people, Blake. What, you thought I lived a life of sunshine and rainbows in Vacuo so I decided to stow away on a ship just for fun to attend here?" Blake's eyes softened as she realized a line had been crossed.

"I suppose I never mentioned my parents or sister, did I?" Sun asked with a sigh. "I guess it's not fair for me to ask about your past if I won't mention mine. Mom and Dad were smiths. Made all kinds of stuff, horse shoes, nails, doors, you name it. Occasionally they'd make a weapon for a special order or something. But business wasn't great because a lot of humans wouldn't buy from them, convinced it was cheap or badly made. Eventually things kinda boiled over in the neighborhood, and when a faunus died in the hospital from a beating, a resistance group kinda just sprang up. Called themselves the Faunus Defense Group, but it was pretty much just a local group from the nearby neighborhoods. Wasn't too hard to convince mom and dad to start making weapons for them. Mikado was right on board too, probably helped convinced them."

Sun paused to drain his second cup of tea. "Well, you know how things go down when the White Fang went violent. FDG started going after humans, first richer people, then shopkeepers. But eventually the whole thing just blew up. Full on riot. Mom and dad knew how to make weapons, but they weren't fighters. Didn't stop them from marching right up onto the frontlines. And then, bang" he motioned with his hand with a gunshot motion. "Bang. That was the last I saw them. Mikado was… well, I don't think I've ever seen anyone as angry as she was. Not even Yang. I mean, I was mad too, but it was mostly a lot of sadness too. The whole thing was dumb, everyone got so hung up on whose fault one something was, so they'd retaliate and then it just kept building on itself. People were so hung up on guilt and fault that they couldn't see what they were doing was destroying everything. That's what I got out of it, anyways. 'S why I never went into the White Fang, by the time I was old enough to be doing anything like that, they were just as bad as the FDG was."

"So where's your sister?" Blake asked.

"No idea. Haven't seen her in ages. She's a couple years older than me, and when Mom and Dad passed, she… well, she wanted to do something pretty different than me. 'S why I left. Wasn't much for me there."

"So how can you criticize me for leaving?" Blake asked. "You just upped and left too!"

"I left," Sun shot back with a more pointed gaze than she was used to. "Because I didn't _have_ anything left. My house was in ruins, the only thing I had left at that point were the clothes on my back and Ruyi and Jingu," he said, patting the collapsed staff on the belt of his jeans. "Yeah, we lost the school. But you still have Ruby and Yang and Weiss and everyone else who made it out. They've been with you this whole time. Remember the last time you ran off?"

Blake returned her eyes to the window.

"Remember how they got really mad and never let you back into the school and held a grudge against you forever and kicked you out of the cool kids club? Oh wait, no, they were upset because you ran off and didn't tell anyone what was going on. Like. Right. Now." He pointed a finger to the table for emphasis. "And once you got back to your senses, you guys got everything patched right back up. I mean, I can't guarantee it'll go over _that_ smoothly again, Yang was pretty pissed. But that's her thing."

"Look, thanks for telling me all that, Sun," Blake said with her eyes down at the table. "Really. And, uh, I'm sorry about what I said."

"Apology accepted!" Sun responded, his cheerful façade back.

"But it's still not right for me to endanger them like this. Adam's probably still in the area looking for me. I can't put them in that danger. And I… well I'd like to go home."

"Alright. Hey, it's all up to you, still. I'm not gonna drag you kicking and screaming through the mud back to the hospital, as fun as that might be," he said with a wink. Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. "But seriously, you should at least visit. Let them know what's up. After that, you wanna go home, I'll smuggle you on the nearest ship myself."

Blake stared wistfully out the window as thunder cracked to the beating drum of rain on the window.

"Okay," she said with a sigh. "Fine. You're…. right."

"Wahoo! Sun Wukong is right for once! Woooooooo!" Sun proclaimed loudly while standing up from his seat, causing a number of curious folk to stare at the faunus. "Ah, eheh, never mind me, nothing to see here…" he said as he drifted back into his seat in front of Blake, who rolled her eyes and planted her face on the table. "Sorry, sugar rush."

* * *

 _Vale Central Hospital_

"Hey everyone, look who I found!" Blake was standing beside him out of sight, fiddling with the bow in her hands _. Not much point in this anymore, I suppose_ , she thought to herself, her ears twitching on top of her head instinctively at being out in the open. She was about to tuck it away when she was yanked on the arm by Sun's tail and spun into the room, twirling to a stop in front of her teammates.

"Blake!" Ruby jumped from her position and engulfed the faunus in a bear hug, swinging around her with the momentum. "Blake we were so worried about you! With everything happening and then you-"

"Hey, little sis," Yang spoke up coolly, looking at Blake with a raised eyebrow before lifting herself from her bed. "How about you let go for a sec? Lemme have a good look here," she said as she sauntered up. Ruby detached herself and looked confusedly at her older sister. Blake's ears flattened against her head and she looked down to the floor.

"Yang, I'm _so_ -" Blake's apology was interrupted by Yang leaping forward with agility that betrayed her hospitalized state and sending the faunus flying backwards with a punch to the gut from her one good arm.

" _That's_ for DITCHING US!" Yang bellowed, her eyes flaring red and her hair starting to shimmer. "Where the hell did you go? I thought we were a team, partners! And then you up and vanish when things are at their hardest? I don't know if you NOTICED," she added for emphasis, gesturing to the rest of the shocked room. "But things kinda went to FUCKING HELL!" Yang whirled around and plopped herself back on her bed with a humph. "Alright, fine. Now tell us all about how hard things have been for you as the excuse for running off," she finished with a wave of her stub arm.

Blake just laid on the ground for a moment, ears still matted to her head as Ruby and Sun ran over to help pick her up. "Yang… I'm sorry. And, you're not wrong," Blake said looking over, catching sight of Weiss in the corner of her eyes, watching thing with a raised brow. "I should've been here, and I should've told you guys what I wanted to do. It's… after that night, I was worried that Adam was still here. He nearly killed you, and he would kill all of you just to get to me."

"That your old boyfriend that gave me a parting gift, I take it? Sure know how to pick'em," Yang responded brusquely.

"Yang!" Ruby scolded in disbelief. "That's-"

"That's right," Blake interrupted glumly. She took Sun's arm and picked herself, walking over and sitting herself in the guest chair next to Yang's bed. "Look, I get it. I reacted in the worst possible way by cutting you guys out. It's just… my nature. It's what I've always done. So if you want to hit me again and again, do it. Maybe it'll teach me something for once."

Yang glared at the downtrodden faunus for a couple seconds before her eyes finally softened a hair and returned to their normal lilac shade. "Gaaaaaah," she growled in frustration before flopping over and laying back down on her bed. "I can't do it if you're going to look like the saddest kitten on the planet. At least until the next time you run off and ditch us," she added in, shooting Blake a sideways look. "So what, you came to officially tell us you're leaving?"

"I…" Blake started, glancing back at Sun, who shrugged. "I don't know. I want to go home to Menagerie soon. You're not the only ones I've ditched," she added glumly. "But I can stick around here until-"

"Blake you're bleeding!" Ruby exclaimed. Blake looked down and sure enough, it seems the bandages covering her wound from Adam had failed to prevent her wound from re-opening after Yang's welcome.

"Well, Miss, it seems you will be staying here for a few days," a new voice called out from the opened door. The nurse was standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand. "I take it you're the other remaining teammate of the three here?"

"Wait, how long have you been here?" Sun asked her.

"Oh, a few minutes. Miss Xiao Long was not exactly discrete. I came to investigate the ruckus. I'm glad I didn't have to call a crew in to restrain you, Miss Xiao Long," she said, narrowing her focus on Yang, who glared back at her. "I'm going to have to request you refrain from further physical exertion. Now, Miss, uh…" the nurse glanced back to Blake.

"Just Blake, thanks," she said.

"Very well, Miss Blake, come, come with me, we'll get those bandages re-assessed and check for another… new injuries. I'll see if I can't get you Miss Rose's place. Oh, and on that note, Miss Rose, we'll be discharging you later today. Thank you for cooperating with us on those tests," she said, nodding as she pulled Blake out by the arm.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, about how mad at her are you?" Sun piped up once they'd left.

Yang growled. "She's not off the hook, but… gah. Almost would've been easier if you hadn't dragged her back here and I could just keep it at a ten. I don't know, an eight?"

"Hey, now, I didn't have to drag her out here. She just needed… a little prodding. Well either that or I just kept following her and embarrassing her with my general presence until she came back to try and get rid of me, you decide," he said with a grin. "Rest of you?" he asked Ruby and Weiss.

Weiss held up her right hand with all five fingers outstretched. "Wait, guys, she did come back!" Ruby exclaimed. "Come on, I know it's frustrating and she should've… maybe been here sooner, but she did come back! We're a team… aren't we?"

"We _were_ a team, Ruby. At Beacon. Which, if you forgot, is gone," Yang responded. Another heavy silence fell on the room. Sun's eyes lit back up as something seemed to occur to him.

"Hey Weiss, you've been awfully quiet, what's the matter, cat got your tongue from all this?" Weiss' left eye twitched as Yang groaned. Weiss pointed to her neck with her index finger, following it with a swiping motion, then raising a different finger into a rude gesture at the faunus while glaring at him with lowered eyelids. "Oh, oh jeez, I'm sorry, I didn't know," he said, scratching the back of his head. I dipped out pretty early to try and track down Blake, so I never heard about, uh, this. Well, uh, in that case, I'm starving, so if you ladies will excuse me," Sun said with a deep mock bow and sweep of his arm. "I have to track down the restaurant on the first floor."

"Yang, if we're not a team anymore, then now what?" Ruby asked her sister.

"I don't know, Ruby," Yang muttered, rolling over on her shoulder and pulling the blanket up. "I don't know…"

* * *

In my head I wanted these chapters longer and covering more scenes, but I also would rather like to keep an update schedule. We'll see if I can't get more efficient as I get in the groove. Either way, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. All much appreciated. Also, the swearing will not be a common thing, and obviously it's a bit out of character in the technical sense, but I am a fan of the very occasional precision F strike if I feel the tone of the scene is appropriate.

Song of the day: Avantasia - The Scarecrow


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby stretched with a yawn as she returned from the bathroom, now dressed back in her familiar black dress and hooded, red cloak. "So," she asked the nurse who was back to scribbling notes on her clipboard. "Where's my weapon? It's nice to be back out of hospital clothes but I still feel a bit naked without Crescent Rose."

"Ah, Miss Rose, I believe your uncle currently is holding it for you. I received a note that he should be by soon to pick you up." Ruby visibly perked up at the mention of her uncle Qrow.

"Sweet, I'll just hang out here while for a bit until he gets here. Is that okay?"

The nurse looked up from her notebook with a gentle smile. "Of course, feel free. We've just got to get a few things changed out from your bed to accommodate Miss Blake, but we've got a couple chairs still for you to chat with your friends."

With that, Ruby dashed back to the main room and spun around a chair near Yang's bed before falling into it with a slam.

"Feeling better?" Yang asked her with a raised eyebrow at her sister's energy.

"Yup! Not in the hospital gown and I can walk around without people giving me disapproving looks and reminding me I should be in bed! Plus, Uncle Qrow's gonna be by soon!"

"Huh. You know, I'm kinda surprised he hasn't been by more. We've been here, what, 5 days and I think he's been here once." They were vaguely aware of a couple new people to the room, hospital workers, swapping out Ruby's old bed and sheets. "But, I guess he's got more important stuff to take care of…"

"Oh, come on!" Ruby chippered. "Don't tell me you're mad at Qrow because he's got important, world saving stuff to do!"

"No, no, not like that. Well, kinda," Yang responded, leaning her head to the side and gazing out the window. "I don't know, I've just been mad a lot since that night. Guess I've just had trouble getting to sleep is all, making me cranky," she said, giving her sister a re-assuring wink. Ruby frowned at the offhand comment. _There's something else to that. But maybe I shouldn't push her too hard yet._

"Well, if you need to chat about anything, lemme know. I'm _right_ here," Ruby told her, blinking in for a quick, one armed hug over Yang's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, now get off me, I'm _recovering_ ," Yang gently removed her sister with her good arm. "So-"

"Oh, hi Blake!" Ruby twirled around, sending her chair twirling dangerously on a leg, appearing before the dark-haired faunus, who was setting herself onto her new bed as her escort of hospital workers left. "How long are they keeping you here?"

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "We're merely keeping Miss Blake here for a couple days to ensure her wounds can properly heal and won't re-open," the nurse informed her. "So long as we don't get any other… incidents," she said with a pointed glance at Yang. "Then Miss Blake here should be able to leave in a couple days. Now, I've got one last thing to take care of for now. Miss Schnee?" Weiss looked up from her scroll, which she had been fiddling with disinterestedly, eyes raised in question. "We're going to test out your left knee. Your MCL and ACL suffered moderate tears, and we'd like to test your range of motion and stability. Ruby, would you like to help?"

"Of course!" Ruby chirped, zipping in front of the nurse with a salute. "What do you need me to do, ma'am?"

The nurse smiled. "Please, it's just Nurse Ibis. And all I need you to do is give Weiss something to hold on to in case she has any trouble."

"You got it!" Ruby vanished from Nurse Ibis' view and appeared in front of Weiss' bed in a puff of roses. "Ready, Weiss?" Ruby asked, holding her arm out. Weiss nodded with eyes wide with determination. She placed a hand on Ruby's arm, planted her right foot on the pale tile, and pushed herself up with a grunt. Then, with a bit of hesitation, she placed her left foot down, wincing as she began to apply pressure to it. Then she tried stepping forward off her left foot and immediately took a tumble straight into Ruby's arms.

"I see," Nurse Ibis began jotting back on her clipboard. "Can't support, stability poor," she muttered as she jotted down notes while Ruby helped Weiss back to a sitting position on her bed. Weiss was visibly frustrated as she blew an audible breath through her nose and grimaced. "Do you need more pain medication, Miss Schnee?" Ibis asked. Weiss shook her head vigorously and threw herself back into a laying position on her bed, drumming her fingers in agitation. "Well, give me a ring if you do or if anything else pops up, girls. I'll be back later." And with that, Ibis bowed and granted herself exit from the room.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asked. She reached out and put a hand on Weiss' wrist. Weiss relented and stopped drumming her fingers at Ruby's touch, but otherwise lay still for a moment before shaking her head as she stared at the ceiling with an expression that seemed to be glazing over. With a "hmph" she sat herself up, shook her head, and pointed over to the notebook and pen on the table. "Oh, right," Ruby relaxed her grip on Weiss and handed her the notebook, who began writing.

 _Can you come with me?_

"Eh?" Ruby asked, scratching her head.

 _To my home._

Ruby looked at her with confusion. "Uh, I mean, I guess I could, but why? And wouldn't your dad have to approve of it?" Elsewhere in the room, Blake and Yang perked up at the direction Ruby seemed to be taking the conversation.

 _I can't trust him. I don't want to be there alone._

"Wait, but he's your dad!" Ruby exclaimed. "I mean, he seemed pretty nice when he visited, like he was really worried about you. Weiss, what's going on?" Weiss threw her arms up in frustration, shaking her head vigorously at Ruby's description.

 _He seems nice. Because he wants something. He always wants something. Please, I don't want to be alone. Not like this._

Ruby's heart began to break as she saw Weiss began to act more frantic as she tried to get her idea across. _What could have happened that she's this worried about him_? Ruby wondered to herself.

"Hey Ruby," Yang called out from her bed. "What's going on?"

"Oh, uh… " Ruby stalled for a moment. "Well, Weiss… kinda is asking if I'd go with her back to her home. For a bit, right?" She glanced back to Weiss, who nodded her head earnestly.

"Uh, why's that?" Yang asked, raising her brow in suspicion at Weiss. "Wait, lemme guess. You don't trust your dad, right?" Weiss nodded again. "Okay, we did this already, but on a scale of one to ten, how bad we talking here?" Weiss held up her left hand in an open palm, with another four fingers raised on her right. "Then no," Yang said bluntly. Weiss looked at her in shock, her mouth opening slightly and hanging there.

"Wait, hold on, isn't this my choice?" Ruby asked her sister. "Last I checked, I can make my own decisions!"

"Ruby, if Weiss is this worried about it, then I'm not letting _you_ walk into that. Don't be stupid. Besides, Ice Queen here probably lives in a castle on a mountain, with tons of security. How'd you get out if things went bad?"

Weiss seemed to choke in her seating position as she looked at Yang in disbelief. A faint, feathering cough turned into a hacking, scratching cough as she tried to respond to her. With her voice failing, Weiss settled for a huff of air through her nose, slamming her hands onto her bedposts before falling back down in a laying position. The only sound that could be heard from her was a faint sniffling as her chest rose and fell in rhythm.

"Nice. Real smooth, Yang." Blake quipped from her bed, eyes lidded in disapproval at her teammate's actions.

"What? I'm watching out for my sister, Blake. I'm not going-" SMACK.

The room went deathly still as Yang recoiled from the strike to her face, slowly moved her shocked gaze up to her younger sister, who was looking down at her with watery eyes that betrayed her fierce expression.

"Yang," Ruby began, her voice far quieter than they were used to. "Thank you for looking out for me. But I don't need you to do that for me right now. I'm going to look out for my partner. If Weiss needs me, needs my help for anything, I'll be there for her. Because she's my teammate and my friend. I just wish _you'd_ do the same for them." With that, Ruby spun on a heel and walked right up to Weiss' bed. She looked down at her with a determined look, and took Weiss right hand in her left. "Weiss, whatever you need, whenever you need me, I'll be there for you." Weiss rubbed her eyes dry, sat back up, and reached around Ruby's waist, giving her a hug. "It's okay, we'll manage through all this," Ruby whispered to her as she wrapped her own arm around Weiss' shoulders.

A few hours later, a new figure walked into the room. He saw his adoptive niece playing some game on a notepad with her white-haired partner. The dark-haired cat faunus was slouched in her bed, consumed with a book. _Wonder where she got that_ , he wondered idly. As for his older niece… hmm, troubling. There was a distinct feeling of isolation to Yang 's spot on the other wall as she stared pointedly out the window with a subdued expression. _Ah well, I'll deal with her later, he thought. First thing's first._

"Hey, kiddo," Qrow Branwen started as he sauntered into the room. "Hey firecracker," he said, glancing over at Yang, who looked over for a moment and went back to brooding.

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby vanished from her spot next to Weiss' bed and reappeared in a flash next to him, giving his arm a death grip.

"Alright, alright, let's not put _me_ in here too," he joked as he pried Ruby off his arm. "Hey, I got you a present," he said, putting a hand behind his back and pulling out a crimson, metal box.

"CRESCENT ROSE!" Ruby snatched the box and began cooing and caressing her compressed weapon. "Oh, I missed you so much too, hush, shhhhh, everything's okay now." Even Yang managed to pull herself from her window gaze to observe her sister's odd ritual and fascination with her weapon.

"Okay, break it up, lovebird," Qrow said with a smirk. "Now, I know you gotta be sick of hospital food, so how about how we get ourselves a bite to eat, eh? My treat."

Ruby frowned for a moment, looking back at her teammates still in bed.

"Ah, we'll get something for them once they let'em out. I'm not gonna fight the experts on nutrition… or whatever it is that's in their food," he said with a smirk. "Now c'mon."

"Alright, alright. See you guys later!" Ruby called back as she left the room with Qrow.

"So, how're things going?" He asked her with an offhand tone as they departed down the hallway. "Saw your last teammate was there. Everyone holding up?"

"Oh, uh…. Yeah, everyone's doing… okay. I guess." Rubys' attempt at cheerful deflection fading. Qrow raised an eyebrow and looked down at her questioningly. "Well, Blake, she's the cat girl, she seems like she's doing okay, but so far she's just been buried in a book, and she's kind hard to read anyways. Still, I guess it was nice for the nurse to get her something to do."

"Heh, yeah, I'm not a huge fan of hospitals, lot of sitting around being told what to do. I mean, glad they're here, but not a place I wanna be myself. So, then I feel like this is about Yang," he continued. "She seemed a bit out of it, just from looking in there. She doing okay?"

Ruby sighed. "She's… she's been pretty out of it. She's gotten pretty touchy with Weiss and Blake. She said earlier today she was having trouble sleeping."

"Makes sense. She had a pretty traumatic battle. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know you all went through a lot that night. But Yang…" Qrow paused as they arrived at the elevator, waiting a second as it opened for them. "She's always been pretty headstrong, confident. Maybe overconfident. I'm not sure what happened exactly, and who knows, maybe she'll never tell me. But that was definitely a weapon wound. She got beat, and pretty bad. Give her a bit. She'll dig herself out. She's a strong kid."

"Well, it'd be nice if she could do that without yelling at Blake or…" Ruby started as they left the elevator on the first floor.

"Or what?"

"Well, Weiss is pretty shook up too, one of her knees is all messed up and she can't even talk," Ruby said with a frown. "So she was hoping to see if I could go with her to her home for a bit while she recovered. She doesn't seem like she trusts her dad much. Yang said I should just let her go and deal with it herself."

"Damn… maybe I will have a chat with her. In private though. Weird though, I didn't quite get that kind of vibe from Jacques."

"Who?" Ruby asked as they turned a corner and found themselves in front of a rather fanciful entrance to a dimly lit restaurant. "Hey, wait a minute, this is where we're eating? Uncle Qrow, you said we weren't getting hospital food!" Ruby complained.

"Hey, we're not. We're getting food at a place in a hospital." Ruby frowned at his attempt at weaseling. "Oh, don't give me that look, the food's not bad. Besides," he said, scanning the booths on the far wall. "Looks like we've got someone you need to chat with anyways." Sitting by himself, peering through a small, rectangular menu, was Jacques Schnee, donned in a white suit, maroon dress shirt, and white tie. The elder Schnee looked up and met Qrow's eyes, his gaze visibly brightening as he waved the two over to his booth.

"Ah, Qrow, Miss Rose, how fortuitous to meet you here!" He greeted them as he pulled a couple menus out of a tray on the back of the table. "Please, please, join me, my treat."

"Wait. Wait. You two _know_ each other?"

"Yeah, we met… well, it was the morning after, right?" Qrow started as he seated himself and grabbed a menu. "We both happened to be down here, waiting for updates from the staff."

"Indeed," Jacques agreed. "Your uncle here recognized me, of course. And it turns out we had… very similar frustrations about the whole mess we find ourselves in now," he continued, his mustache twitching back and forth slightly. "It's not often I find myself mingling with, well, people who aren't nobles, but your uncle has a solid head on his shoulders. Plus, I owe him a debt as well as I do you, with him taking both you and my daughter from doom. We've met down here a few other times since then. I wish to be on hand if something were to update with my Weiss, and well, with communications down, I can't rely on my scroll."

"Wow, well then, the food must be pretty good if you guys keep visiting down here!" Ruby began scanning her menu excitedly, but was somewhat surprised by a rather mundane selection of appetizers, cheap steaks, burgers, and salads.

"Actually," Qrow looked at Jacques, who raised his eyes off to a corner. "The food's pretty average,"

"Subpar, in my opinion," Jacques interjected.

"But, well…" Qrow continued.

"It's the only place in the hospital we're allowed to drink" they both finished simultaneously.

"Hey, everyone," conveniently, at that moment, their waitress, a young woman with short, dirty blonde hair in a black shirt and black, plaid skirt appeared. "Anything you want to start with?"

"A glass of Modena Vin for me," Jacques started. "And, let me guess, a bottle of Sable Stout, Qrow?" he gestured across the table.

"You already know me so well, Jacques," Qrow responded with a nod.

"Uh, just water for me," Ruby said when the waitress nodded her head to her. With that she departed and left them to their conversation. "Wait, I thought you only drank hard liquor, Uncle Qrow?" she asked him.

"Eh, it's a restaurant, not a bar. They don't serve anything hard, still at a hospital, I guess. Sometimes you just gotta settle for what's available, Ruby."

"Indeed. Their wine selection is… uninspired, sadly," Jacques added with a sad glance at the small, burgundy menu he had since discarded. "Now, anyways. I'm glad to see you're doing well, Miss Rose," he said with a beam. They've discharged you from care, I take it?"

"Oh, yeah. Really, I was just super tired for a while. Plus they were taking a lot of blood samples, for some kind of tests. Wouldn't tell me what that was about, weirdly."

"Well, they're the experts here, after all," Jacques said with a sigh. "So we've to trust in their judgment, no matter how, er, inconvenient it might be."

"Uh, yeah…" Ruby said, eyeing him with curiosity.

"Ah, right, of course, you probably wouldn't know. Part of the reason I've been staying around the hospital so much is to try and negotiate Weiss' release so we can head home. But, they are insistent that she must stay in care for a few more days at least. I would not mind so much, but with communications inoperable, I cannot contact home. My family, the company, I've gone dark from them. It's not a position I am enjoying," he finished with a furrowed brow.

"Bit of the same boat for me," Qrow added. "For now, with everything gone down, I've gotta stay in Vale for a bit." A clink was heard as the waitress deposited their drinks on the table before departing again. Qrow ripped the top off his beer and took a long swig before continuing. "Man I hate having to work with Ironwood. Uptight ass." Jacques visibly scowled at the mention of General Ironwood before opting for a long sip from his glass of red wine.

"Bah. We needn't focus on him, this is a day for celebration!" Jacques said. "Cheers, Miss Rose, to your good health!" He continued, raising a glass.

"Cheers," Qrow added, raising his bottle.

"Thanks…" Ruby said, taking a sip of water through her straw.

"So, I must ask, Miss Rose," Jacques began after draining another portion of his wine. "How is Weiss doing? I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but you are likely closer to her by this point than I am…" he continued, staring down into his glass. "Is she recovering well? Please, be honest."

"Ah, well, uh… she's getting better," Ruby started with a downtrodden look. "It's been a little tough on her. Not being able to speak, I mean. Also, her knee got messed up pretty bad, she had trouble standing earlier today. Oh, and that reminds me!" She piped up just as the waitress returned for their orders. Jacques and Qrow both ordered refills on their drinks, along with a steak dinner for Jacques, while Qrow and Ruby opted for the burger menu.

"Now, what were you saying, Miss Rose?" Jacques asked as the waitress departed.

"Uh, well, for one thing, you can call me Ruby, if that's okay… it was already kinda weird having the nurse call me 'Miss Rose' all the time. I'm not _that_ old yet."

"Very well, Ruby. Anyways, continue, you were going to say something?"

"Ah, yeah uh… well, Weiss has asked me if I was willing to go back with her. And, uh, with you I guess."

Jacques raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, his mustache twitching once more. "Odd. Did you find out why?"

"I think…" Ruby took a deep breath. "I think she's just a bit scared at the moment. She'll have to rehab her knee, and she's pretty unhappy with her voice. I think she just wants a friend there alongside her while she gets back on track."

"Hmm…" Jacques openly pondered. "Well, I assure you, she'll have the best treatment available once we return to Atlas." He looked back at Ruby and frowned at her hopeful, puppy dog face and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah… but I owe the both of you much for her safe return. How do you feel about this?" He asked, tipping his glass in Qrow's direction.

"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, Ruby's old enough and done enough at this point that she can go the way she wants. But then again, I'm just her uncle. If you're looking for approval, well, hopefully Tai makes it here soon. But then, he'll prolly give the same response. Of course," Qrow continued, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took a drink from his second bottle. "We'll expect her to be treated well, but I'm sure that won't be any issue, right?" he finished, adding a lighthearted tone in spite of his more serious expression.

"Naturally! Ruby will be an honored guest! In fact," Jacques pondered aloud again. "We could consider it a… temporary employment. What do they call it these days, an internship? Yes, we could consider you an intern for the Schnee family security. And we do have a few spare guest rooms, you could have the one of your picking."

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Of course. I meant it when I said that I owed you a debt," Jacques said with an earnest tone. "Weiss has mentioned you a couple of times in letters, that you were advanced ahead of your years. As well, you seem committed to her well-being, and if she has personally requested your presence, then I cannot see a reason to deny it. Of course, we'll have to run through a list of rules and procedures and set up your payment and all the other window dressings to it, but we can worry about that for another day. For now," Jacques trailed off for a moment. "I believe our dinner is here," he continued as their waitress stopped back, dishes in tow.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back in the room_

Yang finally decided to tear her face from the window. For one, the sun was setting, and finally reached that moment in which it was shining far too much just over the horizon. She looked back at her teammates with a frown, Blake digging back into her book, while Weiss was furiously typing something into her scroll. _Former_ teammates? She wondered to herself _. Are we still a_ team? Ruby had been, well. She'd honestly never remembered her little sister being that upset with anyone. But… maybe she was right. Had Yang been too harsh? The sight of Weiss, the **Ice Queen** , actually tearing up had been shocking enough, but Ruby had made sure to drive the point home. As for Blake… she was confused. She still wanted to be mad at her, and to a point, she was, for taking off without warning again. But… then again, Ruby was right. She'd been so upset with Blake leaving and then Weiss trying to take her sister away that she hadn't given thought to how poor of a teammate she herself was being.

With a sigh, Yang tried to figure out how to approach this. "Er…. Weiss?" She started. The heiress gave the tiniest of upward glances from her scroll before returning to it. Yang frowned and opted to heave herself out of bed, walking over and sitting down on the chair nearest Weiss' bed. "Weiss… I'm sorry for how I acted earlier," Yang mumbled as she stared down at her hands on her knees. "Ruby's right. I've been really selfish, and," Yang paused for a moment to take a breath. "And I shouldn't be such a damn hypocrite and criticize Ruby for wanting to help a friend."

Weiss finally seemed to relent and set her scroll down. She closed her eyes in thought for a moment before picking her scroll back up and jamming her thumbs back into it. Yang 's mouth twitched slightly as Weiss seemed to be ignoring her before Weiss handed the scroll over to Yang, with a text message on it. _Okay. We good?_

"Yeah. Yeah, we're good. At least, if you are."

 _Excellent. Now, please stop being even bitchier than me._ Yang couldn't help but laugh as she read Weiss' last remark. It felt good. And it felt like she hadn't it in ages. "Alright, smartass. Fine," she responded, handing Weiss her phone back.

"So what about us?" A gentle voice asked Yang from the other bed. Yang swiveled in her chair to turn to Blake, who was peering over the edge of her book, her ears flattened against the top of her head. "Are we, uh… good too?" With a sign, Yang scootched her chair over across the linoleum until she was right next to Blake's bed.

"Look, Blake… I just…. When you up and left like that, without any contact… it made it seem like you were abandoning us. I was hoping for you to come back, but when you were gone over a day, then two… three. It just sorta confirmed it. That you abandoned _me._ It felt like all the time we'd spend together had been for nothing." Blake set her book down and swapped her position on the bed, leaning forward with her legs hanging off.

"Well, you're…. kinda right. I was selfish. I don't think I'm wrong though," she said, narrowing her eyes to her knees as she curled up. "Adam's still out there. I let myself get complacent here at the academy. It was just… we were doing good things, and for once I was around genuinely good people."

"Complacent? What about that time you nearly killed yourself from a lack of sleep? We had to practically drag you into the bed and tie you down! Wait… that came out wrong."

"Did it?" Blake asked her with a bemused look.

"Ugh, you've been around me too long," Yang threw left arm into the air.

"But yeah… things can't go back to being like that," Blake's somber look returned. "I don't know what I want to do now, other than go home. At least see my family. But beyond that? First I got invested into the White Fang, and that blew up. Then I got invested into becoming a huntress, and that blew up in my face too. Now, I'm not sure what to do."

Yang reached her hand out and placed it on Blake's knee. "So… nothing can go back to like it was?" She asked with a disappointed tone. Blake put her hand on top of Yang's, with an inscrutable expression on her face, though her ears perked up.

"You know, just yesterday you were so mad at me that I'm stuck in here with you."

"Yeah… woman scorned and all that, I guess." Yang looked down at her knees. "I'm just tired now. Tired of being mad all the time. Tired of feeling like the bad guy. Tired of not being able to sleep. Just, tired."

"Well," Blake started, pulling Yang's hand closer. "If you're not still mad at me, maybe we can see if one thing can go back to the way it was," she said, her voice dipping so low it was practically a whisper. "If you're okay with that."

"Well," Yang whispered back, raising her hand up and cupped Blake's cheek while leaning her head forward onto Blake's. "Maybe just one. Ya know, if you're okay-"

She was cut off as Blake met her lips with her own in a short, sweet gesture. "Just one?" Blake asked with a small smirk. "Oh crap, wait-" Blake looked over Yang's shoulder and saw Weiss, who was staring at the two with her head tilted to the side, her expression like she was witnessing space aliens descending on the planet. Weiss immediately reached for her notebook and pen and gashed a few large strokes into it and held it up to them.

 _WHAT?_

"Ah…. Well I suppose the cat's out of the bag, eh Blake?" Yang asked her partner. Blake and Weiss immediately responded with an eyeroll at their teammate's unfortunate attempt at humor. Weiss went back to scribbling into the notebook and held it up again.

 _SINCE WHEN?_

Blake and Yang exchanged glances before the blonde finally answered. "About a month or two…. It's not been long. Kinda why I was so mad at her," she said, giving Blake a fish eye. "Look, we're not really comfortable with announcing the whole thing to the universe, we just… sorta forgot we had an audience for a moment. Can you not, uh, tell Ruby about this? Not yet, anyways?" Weiss rolled her eyes again, blowing air from her mouth upwards. She picked up her notebook again.

 _Fine. Get a room_

"Eh?" Yang glanced at Blake, wiggling an eyebrow. "You heard her, we have permission to find a room!" Blake gave her a soft punch in the shoulder before groaning. "Maybe later, idiot.

"Aww, c'mon, I'm _your_ idiot, thank you very much!" Yang protested as she popped up from her chair and sat down on Blake's bed.

"So… " Yang began after a short pause. "You wanna see your family again?"

"Yeah… if you guys think I wasn't very courteous about how I left you, well… I have some explaining to do to my parents," Blake answered, looking forlorn.

"Well, what if I went with you?" Yang asked, her tone far cheerier than Blake had heard in the last couple days. Blake raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Is this because of Ruby?"

"No… well maybe just slightly. Look, the whole reason I wanted to become a huntress was for a life of adventure. And, well, with the academy gone, there's only a couple places for me to go. I guess I could go home, find a job doing something mundane, like… I don't know, maybe find a spot as a blacksmith's apprentice? But I don't really want to sit down and work at something, not yet. Menagerie might be something different. And, don't worry about lodging me or whatever, I'll figure something out!" Yang added.

"You'd… kinda stick out, no offense," Blake responded with abundant caution. "Because you're human!" She made sure to add on. "Menagerie is almost entirely faunus."

"I mean, that doesn't bother me. Heck, I've even managed to mostly get along with Sun, and he's a pain the ass."

"Are you sure about this?" Blake asked. "I don't know what I even want to do after I meet my parents, and heck, they might be, _should be_ , livid with me."

"Well, then we're a matched set," Yang declared. "Because, I have no idea what I'm doing either. At this point, I don't' think anyone really knows what to do, Blake. So hey, let's figure it out together, amirite?" Yan gave Blake her best impersonation of her younger sister's puppy dog face. Blake sighed in frustration before collapsing back onto her bed.

"Alright, fine. But only because you're infuriatingly adorable when you want to be ," she groaned.

Meanwhile, watching the whole affair, Weiss vaguely contemplated whether a fall from a seven story window would be worth it to avoid being a silent third wheel.

* * *

Apologies for the delay, all. The summer heatwave, combined with my room not receiving central air conditioning, made concentration a bit of a struggle. Thanks, again, to those who have left likes, follows, and favorites. Have an excellent day.

Music of the day : Rainbow of Love - Bob Sinclair


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah, a real bed!" Ruby spun on the spot before flopping backwards onto the neatly arranged bed. After having dinner and parting ways with the elder Schnee, Qrow and Ruby opted to return to his hotel room down the street. Qrow sat himself down the couch with a grunt, arms splayed as he watched his niece roll around, messing the perfectly prepared sheets.

"Hmm, might have to work on your manners a bit before you get sent off to fancy high society," he commented with a smirk.

"Oh, cut me some slack," Ruby retorted as she nuzzled into a nest of pillows. "I've been stuck in a hospital for… jeez, five days?"

"Eh, fine… just don't come complaining to me when they kick you out for being a mannerless slob."

"But _you're_ a mannerless slob too, Uncle Qrow" Ruby sat up with a frown.

"Hey, only when I don't feel like it… Okay, that's most of the time, but I can sharpen up," Qrow said with a smirk that quickly disappeared. "Alright, well… I suppose now's as good a time as any, now that we've got some privacy," he said, scratching the back of his head. "You're probably a bit curious, I guess, about what happened up Ozpin's office, eh."

Ruby's frown returned for a moment as she considered her uncle. "You told Weiss' dad that I saved her, didn't you?"

"Yup."

"Well, did I? I don't remember anything after... after I saw Pyrrha die," she left off lamely.

"You want the truth, right? The full, honest truth?" Qrow asked her, his gaze narrowing in focus. "You absolutely want that?"

"…Yeah. I gotta know."

"Alright, well, the truth is, Ruby… I'm not totally sure." Ruby glared at him with a twitching left eyebrow. "Oh, don't give me that, I'll elaborate. Look, here's how the breakdown went on my end. I'd just been helping Ironwood deal with some grimm when we saw a burst of light at from Ozpin's office. Like, huge, you couldn't miss it. By the time I got up there, your friend Weiss was buried under a steel beam that collapsed on her leg, and you were both out cold. You said you saw your other friend die up there. I assume someone killed her?"

"Yeah, Cinder… she'd been at the academy for a bit, ever since the Vytal festival preparations started. Black hair, gold eyes. Sorta like a really scary, human version of Blake. When I got there, I just remember, she was floating, like..."

"Like magic?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Well, I guess that answers the question of who was after Autumn…" Qrow said with a sigh. "Well, either way, she was long gone when I got there, it was just you two, and that frozen dragon. Damn creepy, that thing."

"Qrow, what's going on? There's a lot more to this than just a white fang attack. What was Cinder after? Why was the school destroyed for it?"

"Guess now's the time, eh…" Qrow trailed off as he pulled his flask out for a drink. "Ruby, how much was Tai for stories? You know, myths and whatnot, bedtime stories."

"Eh, a little bit. Why?"

"He ever tell you the story about the four maidens of the seasons?"

"You mean the one about four maidens who helped the old man and came to become the seasons?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Well, the truth is, Ruby, there's more to that than just myth. Those maidens, they actually exist in our world. And their power, it's a sight to behold. Imagine you could summon the power of any number of semblances, use your aura in infinite possibilities, just because you willed it? Didn't need dust, just your own power and creativity… that's the power the maidens hold. And now, that's the power Cinder holds," he finished with frown. "Cinder had ambushed the Autumn maiden a while back. We're not sure how, but she sucked out a portion of her power right then and there. By the time I got there to stop it… well, Amber was in bad shape. She'd been held downstairs here. Bottom floor, it was something Ozpin had taken upon himself to protect her. But, well… Ozpin's gone, and Amber's… gone too. Bottom line, Cinder wanted to finish the job. Get the full power of the maiden. As for what her goal after that would be? Hard to say what her actual long term goal is, but the other maidens are sure to be next on her list."

"Wait, so magic… straight up magic, that's a thing? That exists?"

"Surprised you'd take convincing, seeing as you saw it firsthand. But yeah, seems a bit hard to believe, but Ozpin got me on board. I've seen some of what it can do firsthand. And believe me, someone like Cinder having it is about the worst thing that's happened. But, what's really curious," Qrow continued, narrowing his focus in on Ruby. "Is that by all I can figure, you sent her packing on your own. Which leads me to, well, our other fairy tale. I dunno as much about this one , though."

Qrow paused to take a long drink from his flask before continuing.

"Ruby, what was the first thing Oz said to you the night you met him?"

"Uh, he said…" Ruby scrambled her brain trying to place it. "He mentioned… my eyes!"

"Yeah, silver eyes. Pretty rare trait nowadays. Pretty rare trait for a long, long time, so it goes. Supposedly, long, long ago, before kingdoms and academies, when mankind was fighting tooth and nail for survival against the grimm, it was said that those with silver eyes were special. Destined to lead lives as victorious warriors, who could strike down grimm just by looking at them. Seems pretty ridiculous…"

"Well yeah, I mean, I think I'd know if I could kill a grim just by looking at it! If I could-"

"And yet… I get to the top of that tower, and there's a giant, frozen monster, and no sign of a woman who's usurped the power of the fall maiden," Qrow finished, giving her a pointed stare. "Look, I don't know as much about this one, Ruby, it wasn't something Oz focused on as much, he was a lot more involved with the maiden stuff. But, if there's one thing I learned from him, it's that a lot of times, there's a nugget of truth, maybe more, to these old tales. You're special, Ruby. Remember that. The truth is, I don't know what you did at the tower, and the fact that you don't either is telling. There's something," he said, leaning forward, planting a pointer finger in between Ruby's eyes before pushing off. "Something special about what you did. If I knew how to help you figure that out, I would. Doctors can't figure out it out either, by the looks of it. But, I think that'll have to be something you find out on your own."

Qrow leaned back into the sofa, taking another swig.

"So… if you don't know what happened, why did you tell Weiss' dad that I helped her? I don't even know what I did!"

"Because I knew immediately who he was, Ruby. Look, I get the feeling that if your friend wants you with her over the next couple months, that Jacques has a lot more layers then he lets on. I don't know how bad a guy he is, but I know him by public reputation of his company. I saw him at the restaurant, so I figured, let's try and make a good contact. Thankfully, Glynda and Ironwood had the decency to back me on that one the next day. Besides," Qrow added. "I don't see how anything I told him is necessarily false. Something bad happened at the top of the tower, but at the end of it, you and Weiss came out of it alive."

Ruby frowned at her uncle's idea of honesty. "It still just doesn't feel right… I just wish that I knew what happened! I should know, of all people… my head just hurt so bad when I saw Pyrrha… saw her die. Agh!" Ruby flopped back onto the bed.

"Don't feel too bad, kiddo," Qrow told her as he took another sip. "It looks like we're all going to be dealing a little above our pay grade soon. With Oz… missing, I'll have to take up some of his work. Am I ready for it? Probably not," he answered with a shrug. "But I know I have a duty, and even if I have to go in half-blind, I'm in on this. As for you, for now, just make sure you get rested and help your friend. It's… nice to see you've got people you're so loyal to," he finished with a frown. "Treasure those relationships."

"But what about after that? I'm special, right? Then that means I can do more!"

"Just chill, for now, kiddo. Besides, I don't have any solid leads at the moment. But, I'm sure if the time comes, you'll figure out where to go. And, when you do, you'll want friends there with you. So, make sure Weiss gets fixed up, okay?"

"Okay…" Ruby said a bit slowly. "Hey, Uncle Qrow, I got a favor to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Can… can we go shopping for clothes tomorrow?" Ruby asked with a hint of embarrassment. "I… kinda had most of my clothes at the academy."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Not really my thing. How about I give you some cash and you can go on your own? I got a few things to do tomorrow."

"Okay." Ruby flopped down onto the bed as fatigue began to overtake her. "Hey, Uncle Qrow?" she said, looking over at him as he lied down on the couch.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks… for, well, everything."

"Don't mention it," he said with a short wave of his hand. "Rest up, Kiddo."

* * *

It was coming up on noon the next day, as three bored girls pondered how to kill time in the hospital, when an older, white haired gentlemen arrived, decorated in a choice, white suit, tie and navy blue shirt. Weiss glanced over in trepidation when she realized that, indeed, her father had so generously decided to grace them once more with his presence. _Perfect._ Now, with her ability to communicate restricted, it would be even easier for the elder Schnee to talk over her.

"Ah, good morning, ladies, Weiss," Jacques led off with an air of forced joviality. Weiss settled for a respectful nod as Blake glanced up for a moment from her book and Yang gave the man a quizzical stare. "Well," he continued with a cough. "Weiss, I just wished to have a… short chat, if possible. He strolled up and placed a hand on her shoulder as he stared up to the ceiling for a moment. "Well, first, I just wanted to say… I'm proud of you for being very strong during this, Weiss. It has been a trying time for all of us, recovering from the brutality last week." Beneath his gaze, Weiss rolled her eyes at Blake, who was glancing at her over her book. "I had a lovely chat with your friend, Miss Rose, and her uncle at the diner last night," he continued, taking his gaze down from the ceiling to look his daughter in the eyes. "She informed me that wished to have her present for a time while you recovered. I take it this is correct?" he asked, gaze narrowing slightly and his tone becoming more serious.

Weiss paused for a moment, trying best to figure out how to convey herself, before settling for another deep bow and nod of her head, subconsciously holding her breath as she braced for his response.

"Well, my daughter, I think you've a sound idea, if I say so myself!" Jacques commended her with another hand on her shoulder.

Weiss released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and glanced up at her father, giving him an odd, questioning look as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"What?" Jacques asked her with a raised eyebrow. "You clearly seem to trust her a great deal, do you not?" Weiss gave him an affirmation with another nod of her head. "And she is clearly a skilled combatant. There were… many who did not survive the battle at beacon," he said with an air of darkness. "She, and you, and your friends all here," he continued, gesturing to Yang and Blake. "Survived a terrible ordeal with grimm, rogue mech forces, and the _white fang_ ," he added the last words with emphasis. "My dear, it is plain to me the world is not as safe as we'd hoped. And most of all, I want you to be safe. If Miss Rose will abide it, I see no reason to not add a skilled huntress-in-training to our security forces, even if as a temporary measure."

"Wait… you're adding Ruby as security?" Yang asked with a questioning look.

"Well, it only makes sense, does it not? She is skilled, and her character is vouched for by my daughter, as well as multiple staff members who I've… discussed with. And this way, she will be paid, and have excellent references going forward. A win-win, is it not?"

"Here's hoping you treat her better than you treat your faunus 'employees'", Blake muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" Jacques turned on a heel to the dark-haired cat girl as Weiss and Yang stared her down with alarmed glances.

"What? I'm just saying, I know how your company treats your faunus laborers," she responded to him with a severe stare.

"Why… why I'll have you know," Jacques stammered out as color began to rise in his cheeks. "Schnee Dust Company has an explicit policy against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or creed!"

"Sure, you tell yourself that. Get back to me when your company actually follows through on that."

"Why, you!" Jacques began to bluster as he raised a finger before catching himself. "Now, now, Jacques," he muttered to himself. "Deep breathing, as Ponceau advised… deep breathing." The elder Schnee stood for a moment with his eyes closed, seeming to catch his breath after a couple seconds. "Well!" He opened his eyes and swiveled on the spot back to Weiss. "As I was saying, I think you've an excellent idea to help add additional security to the family. And, rest assured, we will do right by your friend. I do, after all, owe her that much for your return."

"Ah, excellent timing, Mr. Schnee!" The room turned to see an older man with graying hair and thick, square rimmed glasses entering the room, adorned with a white coat, pushing a wheel-chair in as he entered. . "I was hoping to catch you soon after, but since you're here, we can knock out two birds with one stone! We've got our official diagnosis for your daughter ready, if you two would care to join me in my office." He pushed up the wheel-chair and offered it to Weiss, who managed to hobble herself onto it with her one good leg. "Well, please, follow me," the doctor gestured out to the hall as Jacques got behind and pushed Weiss along, giving Blake a severe look as he passed by.

"So…" Yang started up after the three had departed their room, giving Blake a dirty look. "Blake, think you could, like, _avoid_ pissing off my sisters' new employer?"

"What?" Blake said in her own defense. "I didn't say anything that was wrong. They treat faunus like slaves in the dust mines."

"Yeah… I know, Blake," Yang said with a sigh. "But, do you think maybe there's a time and a place to bring that up? Like, not right as he's talking about giving Ruby a job?"

"…Fine, whatever," Blake muttered, lowering her eyes back to her book.

"Blake?"

"Blaaaake?"

"Eep!" Blake squeaked slightly as her partner abruptly sat down on the foot of her bed next to her feet.

"Blake… you know I'm just trying to look out for Ruby, right? You know I do care about the faunus, right? I just… if this is going to be a thing, Ruby working for him, I want her getting off on the right foot."

Blake sat her book down with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah… it just still feels like being blocked out, ignored. Bit of a history with that." Yang leaned forward, wrapping her left arm around Blake and nuzzling the top of her head, almost smashing her mane of golden hair onto Blake's right ear, which curled to the top of her head instinctively.

"Okay, okay," Blake stammered out, a blush rising in her cheeks. "You made your point, our door's still open."

"Mmm, just another couple seconds… I missed this, Blake."

"…Okay, fine, just a couple more seconds," Blake conceded, wrapping her right arm around her partner's shoulders.

And so it was that at that precise moment that a blonde, middle-aged man, wearing a white, button-down shirt and black vest, swung into the room by the side of the door. "Hey girls! How are you-"

* * *

"So, first off, my apologies for my general absence, I'm Doctor Nigrine," the elderly man explained as he began sorting through a pile of documents on his desk. "But, I have the utmost faith in our nursing staff, and, well, I've been a bit pre-occupied with your case, Miss Schnee," he explained to her as she sat opposite him, her father seeming to hover behind her. "Let me start with the simpler order of things, I suppose." He pulled out a couple of x-ray photographs of her knee, sliding them across to her. "Now, if you look here, and here," he continued, pointing to two lighter spots between the joint of the knee. "These are where you suffered minor sprains of both your ACL and MCL. The good news is, you suffered no fractures to any of the bone structure, and the actual damage to the tendons was minimal. As a result, we don't believe surgery will be necessary- my recommendation is physical therapy, and within 6 weeks, you should notice significant improvement in stability of the knee. In fact, if it had been either a minor sprain of just one of the ligaments, you would likely be able to walk relatively well now. Do you understand, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss glanced up from the x-ray, and nodded her head to the older doctor.

"As well, and I'm sure you've noticed, you suffered some bruising along your left thigh and along your torso. The good news is, there was no damage beyond that. Now, for the odd part…" he drifted off as he straightened his glasses at his new notes.

"So, the damage to your larynx and vocal cords," he began. Weiss immediately perked up, the doctor having her full attention. "We initially believed the damage was a result of physical trauma, likely as a result of a large and heavy object collapsing on you, as I understand it. However, our secondary scans have shown… inconsistencies with that analysis. Many of the nerves on the inside show little sign of physical damage, nor do they exhibit signs of smoke damage, which was our secondary assumption. So, I had to do some digging, and closest comparison I've been able to find was a couple patients we've had the last few years who came here suffering injuries suffered while mining dust. It's not a common injury, being that dust mining has obviously become much safer over the years," he continued, adjusting his glasses as he gave a short glance at Jacques. "As well, most dust explosions have only caused damage to surface areas, like the skin. However, we did have a couple… rambunctious sorts who evidently attempted to _ingest_ the substance. Now, I have to ask this as a matter of procedure, but did you attempt to ingest dust, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss gave the doctor a horrified look, mouthing _no_ while vigorously shaking her head.

"Yes, of course, I thought that seemed unlikely, given the accounts I had from those who were… at the battle. From what I understand, a dust explosion is… well, very unlikely given the circumstances. We can't verify whether there would have been a supply of dust within the headmaster's office, but we did have your weapon inspected, and it came out flawlessly, so we've ruled that out. Frankly, we're baffled as to what caused the damage if it was not dust."

"So, do you have a prognosis, then?" Jacques asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I can only give a prognosis based off the information we have, and even then, it's from limited data and again, we're still not entirely sure if dust would be the source of it. But, based on the records we have of the patients who came in with dust-related injuries… three of the four regained their speaking voice within 8 weeks. Two of those three regained a full vocal range within a month after that. So, based on that-"

"She'll be good and ready to go within eight weeks, then!" Jacques said, beaming as his daughter. "We're a strong, sorts, us Schnees!" He proclaimed to the doctor, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder, who stood straight as a board in her chair at his touch.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, there's multiple procedures that can be followed to help the process along. I've a few sets that can be followed outlined here," Doctor Nigrine said, handing a clip of papers over to Jacques. "As well, as I understand it, the two of you were hoping to return to… Atlas, it was?"

"Ah, yes. Do tell, how far along are we to being able to do that?" Jacques queried him.

"Well, as I see it, Weiss is in good, stable condition, relatively speaking. Her left knee will require time to heal, but there are many options for dealing with that. Obviously , there's the chair, but crutches are an option as well, as long as you remember to avoid pressuring that knee," he added, giving Weiss a significant look. "We can also set her up with a knee brace, which will allow a transition as the knee begins healing and you wish to feel your way back. But, yes, beyond that, she is in fine condition. If you wish, we can get the paperwork ready today, and have her released tomorrow."

"Ah, excellent, excellent news indeed! Can we get that in order now, perhaps?"

"Ah, my apologies, Mr. Schnee, but I have another major case to work on over the next hour. Can you arrive back in, oh, perhaps three hours from now? I should have things cleared and ready to go then. Ah, but before you leave, what would you like arranged? The chair can be yours, but will you be wanting crutches or a brace?" Nigrine asked. Weiss thought for a moment, then nodded her head with emphasis, and mouthed _both_. "Very well, very well, the nurse will be in your room soon to measure your knee for the brace. Now, my apologies to you both, but I really must be on to my other case, if you will excuse me," he added, gesturing to the door.

With that, Jacques grabbed Weiss' chair and marched the two of them out of the room, clearly a spring in his step. "Well, well, a good day!" He declared. "We can soon go home! Ah, and we'll have to hunt down Miss Rose and tell her the good news as well! Now… if I remember, this is the way back, right?" He seemed a bit confused as they found themselves at a t-intersection. Weiss pointed him in the right direction. "Ah, right, of course, of course… so, are you excited to go home, Weiss?" He asked her, glancing down at her.

She looked up at him with a short face, lips pursed. _Well, I suppose anything beats a hospital, bu_ t… she thought. Still, she gave him an earnest smile and nodded her head.

"You know, Weiss… I do wish to apologize. I know I've not always been a… perfect father. I've not always been there for you, and, I should have been. And, well, I know I've been severe at times, but I simply wanted the best for you, honestly." Weiss slowly cranked her head up and stared at her father with a baffled expression, like he'd grown a second head. "I mean it," he said earnestly. "I just, well, when you became heiress, I wanted you to be in the best position to succeed, which meant I didn't want to coddle you. You will need to be strong in the future, uncompromising and stout. When I demand the best from you, it's because I know you can be that. If I've been harsh, it's because I wanted to bring out your best. But… I will attempt to find a better balance," he conceded. "When I was alerted that you were in critical condition… it made me realize that even the strongest of us can be… very fragile," he concluded with a dull tone. "Something I should have known before. So, I will attempt to find a better balance. And one day, perhaps I'll get to know my daughter better, if you'll allow me."

Weiss looked down at her lap, shocked at her father's rather sudden turn. _No… no, I'll believe it when he follows through on that_ , she thought. _Still, maybe even he deserves a chance_. Still, she placed a hand on his and gave him a smile and a nod.

"Good, good," Jacques muttered, reflexively withdrawing his hand for a moment. "Now, let's see, this is your room, right here, if I-"

Jacques found himself cut off as they entered the room, watching a mortified Yang burying her head into her knees as she sat curled up in her bed. Blake seemed similarly distressed as a blonde fellow seemed to be lecturing on about… virtues?

"Ah, my apologies, are we interrupting?" Jacques asked, mustache twitching inquisitively.

"Oh, no, not at all, we were just wrapping up our conversation, weren't we, dad?" Yang positively sprang up from her position on her bed, giving Yang Xialong a glare. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright, fine. We can talk about these things later, Yang," he said, giving his daughter an excessive wink.

"Ah, so, I take it, then that you are Miss Rose and Miss Xialong's father, then?" Jacques stood aside from Weiss' chair for a moment to extend a hand.

"Yeah, I'm their dad, Tai Xiao Long. Looks like Ruby got let out already, though, must've missed her," he said, taking Jacques' hand with his own.

"I'm sure she's just around town with Qrow," Yang told him. "She sent me a text last night that he had a hotel room for a couple nights still.

"Ah, damn. I was hoping to surprise you both." Tai scratched the back of his head while Jacques wheeled Weiss back to her bed. "So, you must be the famous Jacques Schnee, then?"

"Oh, I don't know about famous, but yes, that would be me," Jacques answered, beaming. "Actually, I'm quite pleased you're here, although perhaps this conversation would be more apt if Miss Rose was- ah!"

"You called?" Ruby asked, leaning against the door, holding a shopping bag in her right hand.

"Ruby!"

"Dad!" In a blur, Ruby dropped her bags and had pulled her dad into a soul-crushing hug. "You made it! What took you so long?"

"Ack, okay, alright," Tai gently pried his daughter off himself. "I was out on a mission supervising a team of students hunting death stalkers. We just got back a week ago, and, well, communications being down between kingdoms made it hard to figure out what was even going on here. You girls okay?"

"Uh, well…" Yang started lamely, giving her shank of a right arm a wiggle. "Could be better."

"Oh… my poor girl," Tai swooped in and wrapped an arm around his elder daughter.

"Hey, hey, I'll manage, Mr. Cuddles," Yang tried dislodging her father with her good arm. Tai let himself fall off and sat himself in the chair next to her bed. "I mean… honestly, no, things aren't okay, dad… but we'll manage. I guess."

"Yeah, I can see that. But hey, that's why I raised a tough pair of girls, right?"

"Right," Yang affirmed to him with a swift and firm punch to the shoulder.

"Ahhh, jeez…I'll say," he complained, rotating his shoulder around. "Oh, my bad, Mr. Schnee, you were saying something? Sorry, just got a little caught up here," he asked, turning his attention back to Jacques.

"Yes, right, well, you see, my daughter has a couple, rather severe injuries, and was hoping your Ruby would accompany us back to Atlas while she recovers. Weiss clearly trusts her greatly, and with the white fang growing bolder each day, it behooves me to bolster my home security. To put it plainly, I would like to offer Miss Rose a short term job as security, for Weiss. I felt it would only make sense to offer her fair pay if she were to accompany us back. But, I was hoping to find your approval. How does this find you?"

"Huh, a job? Well, I mean, Ruby's old enough to make her decisions now. And, well, Beacon's going to take time to get back on its feet anyways. If that's what Ruby wants…" he trailed off, giving Ruby a glance.

"Oh, uh, yeah! I mean, me and Weiss are partners! Whatever she needs, I'm there!" Ruby gave Weiss an exaggerated thumbs up, causing the younger Schnee to roll her eyes at the childish gesture.

"Well, I mean, I think that settles that," Tai added. "Just gotta add the usual parent stuff, you know. Take care of her and all that. But, I don't think I'll have to worry about Ruby coming back with a negative review, right?"

"Of course not!" Jacques puffed up just a bit at the insinuation. "She will be an employee, but she will also be an honored guest. You have my word, Sir Xiao Long."

"Alright, well, that settles that. Looks like you girls have already made plans without your old man," Tai said with a hint of sadness.

"Wait, did you make plans already, Yang?" Ruby asked her sister.

"Oh, uh, yeah… I guess you weren't around for that, were you?" Yang responded with perhaps just a touch too much cheer. "Well, Blake and I decided I'd go with her to her home in Menagerie. Visit family, see the sights, figure things out from there," she added nonchalantly.

"Wait, so does that mean you guys made up?"

Tai opened his mouth and Yang immediately put her hand on it. "Oh, yup. Yeah, we worked everything out. _Right_ , Blake?" Blake rolled her eyes at Yang's antics.

"Yup. Best friends again."

"Well, if you girls need anything, just let me know. I can stay in town for a few more days before I need to head back," Tai told them.

"Well, on that note," Jacques piped up. "We've received excellent news from the doctor. Weiss will be discharged tomorrow, so we can leave by tomorrow around noon, if we get things set up with the airship."

"Oh… wow, I guess things'll be going pretty fast, then," Ruby said with a hint of deflation to her tone.

"Such is the way of things," Jacques declared. "But worry not, I'm sure you'll love it in Atlas."

"Alright, well if we've got one day left here, we're gonna make the best of it. TEAM ACTIVITY!" Ruby proclaimed to the heavens. With a flourish she pulled a large box out of her shopping bag. "Who's ready to get crushed in four player chess?"

* * *

 **Howdy, y'all. My apologies about the delay in update - I was out of state for a wedding last weekend, and my week seemingly ate itself out of nowhere. Hope you all had a good father's day. If your Dad is still around, doing his best(even if he's embarrassing you to death in the process), try to let him know you appreciate it. Never know when you might lose that chance. So, go to a game with them, or buy them a beer, or something simple even. Let'em know. Cheers, Dad, wherever you are.**

 **Once again, thanks for the kind words, follows and favorites. It helps, thanks.**

 **Song of the day - The Sealed Kingdom (Adrian Von Ziegler)**


	5. Chapter 5

"So, they're letting you escape tomorrow?" It was at the crack of dawn the next morning when Ruby, Qrow, Jacques and Tai had returned to the girls' hospital room. Weiss was once more in her traditional, white dress, her hair tied back again into a long, straight ponytail.

"Yeah, they seem reasonably satisfied that Yang's not going to be punching any more holes open," Blake answered Ruby dryly. "Not really sure why they couldn't just let us out today if that's the case, but something about protocol."

"Yeah, sorry we won't be able to see you off at the air shuttle, but doc's orders, I guess…" Yang told her sister, jumping from her bed and giving Ruby a one-armed bear hug. "Just take care, alright? And you-"she continued, backing up for a second so she could give a stern look down at Weiss, who was in her wheelchair to Ruby's side, watching. "You'd better," Yang pointed a finger into Weiss' shoulder for emphasis. "Keep her out of trouble." Weiss opened her mouth for a moment before closing it and giving Yang an incredulous look and gave a short gesture to the wheelchair she was confined in. Yang's gaze held like a rock for a few seconds before she broke into laughter, leaning back before putting a hand onto Weiss' shoulder in a more gentle gesture. "Sorry, but I gotta do my big sister duty. I'm _sure_ you'll be fine. But seriously, you know Ruby, just make sure she doesn't do go too crazy."

"Yang!" Ruby indignantly proclaimed before flicking her sister on the ear. "I'll be fine! And I'm right here, thank you very much," she finished in a huff.

"Ahem, yes, well," Jacques interrupted with an obtuse cough. "While it pains me to interrupt, I would be very grateful if we could finish our farewells. I'm quite anxious to be getting home."

"Yeah, you guys'll have a long trip," Tai agreed. He leaned in and gave his youngest daughter one last hug. "Now, do you have everything?" He asked Ruby.

"Well, everything that I've got, anyways," she shrugged. "Lot of it's still back in our dorm, but I don't think we'll be getting that back any time soon."

"Worry not," Jacques told them. "We'll get you sorted out after we've settled back down in Atlas, there's plenty of shops downtown to pick from."

"Looks like you don't need your old man much, now," Tai told her with a smile, though a hint of sadness tinged his voice. "Oh, but, actually, Jacques," he turned to the elder Schnee. "Could you give me your address or post box? I'll see if there's any of Ruby's things back home that I could send, or, maybe just a letter every so often."

"Ah, naturally, do you have your scroll on you? It's…."

Ruby broke herself off from the two and walked up to her Uncle, who was leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

"Well, kiddo. Ready?" He asked her, eyes still closed.

Ruby nodded with emphasis. "Yup. It'll be interesting, I guess. What're you gonna be doing?"

"Me? Eh… I've got to chase down some contacts that Oz had. Stir up some leads." Ruby frowned slightly, which Qrow caught as he cracked open one eye. "Hey," he continued, lowering his voice to almost a whisper as he looked over at Tai and Jacques still in discussion. "I meant what I said the other night. You've got something special about you, Ruby. For now, just help your friend, get used to being out there. When you know, you'll know."

"Wha-"

"Well! With that settled, are you ready to depart, Miss Rose?" Jacques and Tai had evidently finished. Ruby gave a last glance at her uncle.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready. You set, Weiss?" She asked, looking down at her friend, who gave a confident nod.

"Well, then we'll be off," Jacque said with a deep bow, holding his right arm before him at a ninety-degree angle at the elbow. "It was a pleasure. " With that, Jacques departed the room, followed by Ruby guiding Weiss out, the two offering a last wave to friends and family before departing.

"Woah."

Ruby was staring at an upscale, deep burgundy sedan, which pair of tall, leggy gentlemen in black suits were currently loading up with their luggage.

"I know," Jacques muttered from behind her. "It's a shame it's impossible to find decent rental vehicles around here. Still, this will have to do, I suppose."

"Uh… no, it's fine," Ruby stammered out. She wheeled Weiss up to the back door as Jacques took his place in the front passenger seat. She moved to open the door, when Weiss hobbled up on her right leg, waving her off. "Wait, Weiss! Careful to-" She was cut off when Weiss shot her a glare as she leaned against the car door on her good leg. With a huff, she managed to open the door, sit herself down, and with a bit of clear effort, swung her legs up into the car. "Uh… right…" Ruby walked herself over to the other side as one of the men fetched Weiss' wheelchair and collapsed it down. When she sat herself down on the black leather in the back seat, she saw Weiss furiously texting on her scroll before handing the device over to Ruby.

 _I'm not helpless, dolt._

"I know that, Weiss," Ruby answered quietly as their driver began to rev the engine. "I just wanted to help." Weiss frowned at her as Ruby stared down into her lap, snatching the scroll back.

 _Sorry._

"Ah, Miss Rose," Jacques called back to her. "Do remind me, after we've boarded the airship, we'll need to go over some ground rules before get back, very important!"

"Oh, right… and could you just call me Ruby?"

"Of course, sorry, habit. I'll try to remember. "

"Hey," Ruby turned back to Weiss, who was staring inscrutably up at her father. "I know you're still Weiss Schnee, heiress, huntress, and general badass. But, it's okay to let me help. That's why I'm here, right?" Ruby set a hand on Weiss' shoulder as she beamed at her friend. A faint crimson briefly touched Weiss' cheeks and she coughed for a moment, pried Ruby's hand off her shoulder, and stared pointedly out her window.

"Oh..." Ruby pouted and stared down at her lap in response. "Okay, well, I mean-ah!" Ruby exclaimed with surprise as Weiss leaned backwards onto Ruby's shoulder with the faintest of smirks on her face.

It had been a while since Ruby was on an airship like _this_. The closest she could compare to was her original voyage to Beacon, which put a little extra in to impress its new students. There was a certain sparkle to the floor as she pushed Weiss' wheelchair along after Jacques that made her want to see if she could slide across it in her socks like an ice skating rink. For the time being, however, she decided to retain her dignity and followed Jacques into an expansive, luxurious suite, complete with padded, leather seats, an in-cabin bar with a personal attendant, and a pristine, metallic table set with silverware.

"Man, this is going to take some time to get used to," Ruby muttered to herself as Weiss extracted herself from her chair and hobbled over on her good leg to a seat.

"Pardon me, ma'am," a servant seemingly appeared from nowhere behind Ruby to stow the wheelchair away.

"Wait, first I'm miss, now I'm ma'am? I don't look that old, do I, Weiss?" Ruby pleaded to her teammate. Weiss gave a noncommittal shrug before casually turning her shoulder to glance over the other direction. "Wait, c'mon!" In a blink, Ruby was at Weiss' side. "You're kidding, right? I'm not a ma'am, right?" Ruby put a hand on Weiss' shoulder and gave it an earnest shake. "Weiss, throw me a bone here, just lie and say I'm young!" Ruby cried out as she splayed down on the seat next to Weiss in shame. After letting Ruby stew for a few seconds, Weiss finally turned herself around in her seat and looked down at her teammate with an attempt at a sympathetic glance that was betrayed by smirk.

"Miss Rose, you'll have to forgive the manners of the crew," Jacques finally decided to speak up as he set up his scroll into a computing format, though he also had a faint smile on his face. "In Atlas, it is common to address females all females with "miss" or "ma'am", regardless of age. I assure you, the staff is not commenting on you being 'too old'."

"Phew..." Ruby sprang back into a normal sitting position. "Wait, you _knew_!" She pointed a finger accusingly at Weiss, who returned the accusation with a sarcastic roll of her eyes before powering up her scroll. "You could have to-" Ruby cut her off as she realized her faux pas when Weiss shot her a sideways glare without bothering to move her head. "I- I didn't mean... blegh," Ruby slid back down into her chair further.

"Now, if you girls are done," Jacques spoke up with a bit of pep. "Miss Rose, I require your assistance. I've been working on your contract for employment over the last day, and I believe everything is in order. If you could swing over here and see if everything suits you?"

"Oh, uh, right." Ruby hopped up and swung around the table to Jacques' side, who plugged his scroll into a monitor on the wall for a larger screen. "So... what do we have here," Ruby began as she began into the document. "Personal conduct?" She queried Jacques.

"Well of course, we have standards for the Schnee household, which you will of course be requested to uphold. Now, I will admit, some of these will be enforced more or less strictly than others," he admitted.

"Okay, well, lessees... first rule, do not speak to the family unless spoken to first? Wait, I can't even just talk to Weiss?"

"Well, I think that will depend on Weiss, of course," Jacques said, gesturing with his eyes over to his daughter, who put a hand to her chin in a thoughtful look.

"Weiss...?" Ruby gave Weiss her deadliest weapon; her puppy dog eyes. Weiss put her hand up to her mouth and gave a silent chuckle before nodding her head in approval.

"Now, for the rest of the household, I highly suggest one hundred percent adherence to this rule unless stated otherwise, especially my wife. I don't mean this to sound hostile, but the Schnee family expects certain conduct. As long as you're being respectful, I will give you a reminder of this rule if you act outside of it, for a few times, at least. But, I must insist you follow it to the letter with Mrs. Schnee."

"Ooookay. Gotcha," Ruby nodded in confirmation. "Alright, number two... while on duty, must always be in proper attire. Uh, what's proper attire, exactly?" She asked Jacques with a confused look.

Jacques held a hand up to his mustache with a thoughtful look. "Well, this black dress of yours would not be... too out of place, I suppose, but that hood is rather out fashion. But, the attire of household employees is not normally my realm; usually, that will be my wife. So, we will have to consult with her when we arrive. I wouldn't worry too much; the primary point is that you are presentable."

"Okay, alright, that's fine I guess," Ruby said looking longingly down at her black and red dress. "Anyways, number three... I am always on duty? Wait, does that mean I have to sleep in my uniform?"

"Oh, dear, of course not. That rule is because you are employed as part of the security. What that means is, should there be an emergency, there's no taking a coffee break or "clocking out" as they say. Of course, you'll primarily be attached to Weiss during active duty, and that doesn't mean you two girls can't... well, gossip or whatever it is girls do in their free time. I realize you two are friends, but I am also employing you for her safety, so I fully expect you to be on your toes at all times. Am I clear?"

"Oh, yeah, that makes more sense. So, the rest of this..."

Over the next half hour, Ruby and Jacques poured over the rest of the document, which ranged from expected sleep hours to etiquette while outside house grounds.

"Now, one last thing to take care of," Jacques commented. "The matter of your compensation, of course. Normally, household security are salaried, but I feel that it may be better in this case to go monthly. You are young, and while I do want this to work out due to the debt the family owes you, I think this is most logical for both parties. Now... let us see, here we go, does-"

"A hundred thousand lien?" Ruby interrupted him, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Oh, don't worry, like I said, that's monthly, not an annual salary."

"Right, it's just..."

"I assure you, Miss Rose, that's a highly competitive pay rate for household security!"

"Oh, no, it's not that... I've just never had that much money myself," Ruby admitted. "That's plenty, thank you!" She added with an emphatic nod of her head.

"Oh, excellent, excellent. I was hoping to avoid a lot of haggling; I can only imagine what I'll be in for when I get back with things piling up in my absence." Jacques pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose in disdain. "Well, with that settled, we've got ourselves at least another half day before we arrive home in Atlas. Sir!" He called over to the gray-haired gentlemen attending the bar. "A bottle of champagne, and three glasses, please." The man nodded and began digging out three fragile looking glasses. Weiss looked at her father with narrowed eyes and tilted her head.

"Uh, what's the drinking age in Atlas?" Ruby asked with a confused look as the attendant set glasses before each of them before returning to fetch a bottle.

"Oh, don't give me those looks; this is a time to take reprieve and toast that we are returning home!" Jacques proclaimed. "For the record, Miss Rose," Jacques continued as he picked out a bottle from the three that the attendant presented to him. "The age is twenty, like most kingdoms. But there's always allowances for special occasions. And this," he added, pouring for the girls. "Is definitely a special occasion. So, cheers," he said, raising his now full glass to them. "To you, Miss Rose, for being such a help to my daughter. And to you, Weiss. I know I haven't always said it as such, but _I am_ proud of you. And to a better future!"

Ruby and Weiss acknowledged the toast with a tinny clang. Ruby pulled the glass up to her nose and gave it a sniff, inhaling a scent that reminded her of a toasted fruit mixed with winter. She looked over to Weiss, was taking a dainty sip, then over to Jacques, who seemed in thought as he gently swirled his glass. _Well, it's probably like going into a pool_ , she reasoned to herself. So with no more hesitation, she drained the glass in a single gulp. Weiss looked over at her teammate with an eyebrow just slightly raised before letting out a breathy sigh and gently set her head in her hand.

"D-did you enjoy yourself, Miss Rose?" Jacques was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"...A bit sweet," Ruby gasped out as burned at her for her aggressive drink.

"Here..." Jacques poured her another glass. "Try _sipping_ , Miss Rose. Champagne is to be savored."

"Right, sorry. Champagne isn't really a thing back home," Ruby admitted. "Okay," she admitted upon trying her best to emulate Weiss' dainty sip. "Definitely better sipped."

"Good," Jacques tipped his glass to her. "Now, girls, my apologies, but there's a few things I'd like to get worked on while we've some free time. I'll need to get a letter ready to send to the Missus as soon as we get back on the Atlas network, as well as the board of directors so that I can hit the ground running. If you need anything, there's a ringer here," he said, indicating a white button on the side of the table.

"Right, thanks, uh, Mr. Schnee," Ruby said with a short nod of her head as he left the cabin for a more private room. Ruby turned back around and grabbed her glass, finding Weiss setting her scroll in front of her. "Eh?"

 _You drink with the grace of your uncle._

"Hey! I can drink _perfectly_ fancy, thank you very much," Ruby responded in a huff as she gently tipped the glass back to her lips for the tiniest possible sip. "See?"

 _I'm surprised he took that so well._

"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Okay, what's up, Weiss? You've been weird every time your dad comes up."

Weiss frowned and experimented again trying to speak, with no better luck than last time. She briefly drummed her fingers on the table before grabbing her scroll again.

 _It's complicated. But appearances are important in my family. To mother, too._

"Right, so, like, I should be fancy, right?"

 _Let's settle for dignified. Like me!_

"But, you hated when I tried to impersonate you for Halloween!" Weiss gave her a dirty look. "Okay, so maaaybe I wasn't being totally serious then. I can do better!" Ruby continued as she took another sip. "So, uh, since I'm getting to meet her soon, what's your mom like? You never really talked about her at school." Weiss looked away with a small frown. Ruby waited as Weiss fiddled with her scroll, running her fingers along the edge, but not really committing to any text. Ruby could practically feel distress running off her teammate.

"Look, I'm sorry, you don't have to-" Ruby stopped as Weiss held up a finger to shush her, before finally commencing text.

 _She doesn't care._ Ruby's eyes went wide at the revelation as Weiss snatched back the scroll to continue.

 _She pretends to care. She'll say nice and empty things, but she never wanted the Schnee legacy, just the life. That's why father runs the business._ Weiss' typing seemed to become more frenetically paced the more she typed. _The only thing she cares about is her hobbies. So he lets her indulge in art and music so he can do the important things while she pretends to manage the house._ Weiss set the scroll down with a bit more force than necessary as she finished, a scowl adorning her face as she let herself have a moment to drain her own glass.

"I... I'm sorry," Ruby finished lamely. "Look, Weiss, you can tell me these things, you know that right?" She asked, looking down at her lap and twiddling her fingers. "I know we're... a little different, I guess. But, you trust me, right?" Ruby turned her head up at Weiss, a plea written on her face.

Weiss' frustration slowly melted away when she looked at Ruby, and she allowed herself a smile and reached over and grabbed Ruby into a hug, which lingered for a second until Ruby gently pried her off.

"Still... do you think maybe you could work things out with her?" Ruby asked. "I mean, maybe you and her just don't see eye to eye? Hopefully?" Ruby added the last bit on as Weiss' expression began to sour. "Look, it's just, well...well; I guess it just makes me think of Yang's mom. We haven't seen her in ages, but Qrow said she's still probably around somewhere. I always really hoped she would come around some time, because even though she wouldn't ever admit it, it always bugged Yang and I just wanted her to be happy and oh no I shouldn't be talking about this-" Ruby was finally shushed as Weiss pressed a finger to her lips and reached back for the scroll.

 _Okay. I get it. But, I doubt that there's going to be anything that groundbreaking. You'll understand when we get home. Weiss paused for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. I'm sorry I never told you about my family. Right now, I really just wish I could talk like a normal person. Texting is getting really old already._

"You'll get better, though, right? That's what your dad meant by 'excellent news', right?" Weiss frowned and glanced to the side. "...Right?" Ruby added, this time a hint of desperation in her voice.

 _Doctor didn't know anything. Just guesswork._

"We'll get you going again _. I'll_ get you going again, if it's the last thing I do!" Ruby declared with added emphasis. Weiss smiled at her teammates' honest determination, faint tinge of pink gracing her features as she watched Ruby abandon her manners once more and drained the remainder of her champagne in one swig.

 _Back in Vale_

"Well, here you go, girls." Tai was seated next to his eldest daughter in the hospital, ignoring the hospital workers changing the sheets for the bed Weiss had occupied. "Like you asked, two tickets to Kuo Kuana. This look alright?" Blake paced over and inspected the tickets he held in his hand.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Xiao Long," she said with a short bow of her head.

"Please don't call my dad that," Yang complained. "That's just... ugh," she trailed off, shaking her head.

"You know that I do have students that call me that all the time, right?" He asked her with an amused look.

"Yeah, but I don't have to hear th-"

"Besides," Tai cut her off. "Isn't that the proper address someone should give to the father of their girlfriend?"

"Why... you..." Yang stumbled out with a strangled gargle. "You're still having fun with this, aren't you?"

"What, would you rather I throw a temper tantrum that my daughter has a girlfriend?" He questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"No! Just... argh, can you maybe tone down the smartass? Please?"

"Yang, its fine," Blake assured her as she sat down back on her bed, tickets acquired. "A little bit of ribbing is ok-hey, these are for the same room?"

"Well yeah, there's a lot of demand for tickets to menagerie, weirdly," Tai answered her, scratching the back of his head. "I mean... I don't see how that's an issue, right?" At this point, Tai looked thoroughly confused at Blake's noting of their arrangements.

"No, that's fine, why's there so much demand for tickets to Menagerie, though?" Blake wondered aloud.

"Well, hey, at least-" Blake held a finger up to non-verbally shush her teammate as her ears perked up. "Wha-"

"We've got company," Blake groaned. Sure enough, Sun Wukong came to a screeching halt as he turned into their doorway with a large, cloth bag in his left hand.

"Hey guys, howsit- hey, what the heck? Did I miss Weiss leaving?"

"Well, you were gone for a couple days," Blake pointed out wryly as Sun walked in and helped himself to a chair, spinning it on a swivel before planting himself in it. "Yeah, she and Ruby left for Atlas this morning."

"Ah, damn. Sorry, I was running around doing some stuff. Well, I guess that means they're doing ok-wait, Ruby went to Atlas?"

"Yeah, Weiss wants to have her around while she rehabs," Yang said with a bit of evasiveness.

"Huh... so, uh, about that stuff I was doing the last couple days," Sun brought the cloth bag up and set it on his lap. "Got you guys some presents." Sun reached with both hands and his tail and pulled out a small collection of paperback books.

"My books!" Blake exclaimed as Sun dropped them on the foot of her bed. "Sun, how did-you went back to the school?!"

"Hey, it's not a big deal," Sun brushed it off with a shrug as he dipped back into the bag. "Neptune had dropped his scroll at some point during the attack, so we were in the neighborhood anyways."

"You went into a grimm-infested battlezone to find a scroll?" Tai asked him incredulously. "You don't hang out too much with this guy, right?" He asked semi-jokingly to the girls.

"Hey, I got feelings too... uh... oh, I bet your Yang's dad!" Sun figured as he withdrew a golden, metal cylinder. "So, uh... I think this is the right-"

"HOW?!" Yang burst out, jumping to her feet and stomping over to Sun, her hair beginning to shimmer. "HOW DID YOU-WHY DID YOU?" Yang snatched the other half of Ember Celicia from him and turned back, staring down at it. "Not like I can even fucking use it," she muttered to herself as she stared at the gauntlet in her hand. Her hair calmed down to its normal shade of blonde. "Still... thanks, Sun. Don't wanna know how you got, actually," she said quietly as she shuffled over to her bed and sat down with the gauntlet in her lap, staring it down.

"Well, uh, no problem," he said quietly as Tai stood up and sat down on the foot of his daughter's bed. "And, uh, I had something for Ruby, too," he admitted as he pulled the last object out, a small, rectangular thing covered in a wash cloth. Sun pulled the cloth back and revealed a picture frame with a large crack running vertically along the middle. The picture was of a younger Yang and Ruby, flanked by Tai, and a woman wearing a white cloak, standing amidst trees in brilliant, autumn bloom. She had black hair, streaked with red, and the same striking, silver eyes as Ruby.

"Ruby showed that to me early in our second year," Sun muttered as he handed the picture over to Tai. "I just saw it on the ground while I was looking for things. Figured she'd like having it back, even if it's cracked."

Tai was looking at the picture with a wistful smile as Yang leaned her shoulder into him, looking down at the picture herself.

"Yeah... I'll get it reframed and send it over to her in Atlas. I'll make sure she knows you got it for her... uh..." Tai trailed off, realizing he didn't know the young man's name.

"Sun Wukong, sir," Sun reached his hand out for a handshake, which Tai took.

"So, nothing for Weiss?" Blake asked, looking to change the subject.

"Eh, she never really struck me as the sentimental type," Sun said. "Plus, I already had my hands full just trying to get with what I had," he admitted. "I can't believe how many Grimm are there now. It's insane."

"Well, thanks again for bringing this picture back," Tai said as he put a hand back on Yang's shoulder as she straightened herself back up. "It's getting late in the day, but maybe I can find a place still open to find a new frame for this. Girls, I'll see you tomorrow before you head out." With that, Tai departed the room.

"Heading out?" Sun asked them after he was gone.

"You know I wanted to go back home to Menagerie, Sun," Blake pointed out.

"Well yeah, but where're you headed, Yang?" Sun asked.

"She's coming with me," Blake said coolly. "We're... going on a little adventure, isn't that how we phrased it, Yang?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Yang set her extra gauntlet down on her nightstand and gave her head a vigorous shake. "Right!"

"Okay, cool, cool..." Sun trailed off, nodding his head.

"What about you? Gonna go find someplace new to be a vagrant in?" Yang teased him.

"Yeah, was thinking something like that," Sun admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Neptune already headed home almost immediately after we got back from searching around the school, so I don't really have anything tying me down here anymore. But hey, I'll make sure to see you both off tomorrow, okay?"

"Cool... and, uh, thanks again," Yang said quietly, looking back over to her nightstand. "I might not be able to use it for much, but it's good to have it back anyways."

"Well, actually, I have something else I brought," Sun said boastfully, though he shot a quick look back at the doorway. "I know the food can't be any good, considering the diner downstairs sucked, so..." Sun pulled out a black, cloth sack, which had blended almost perfectly with the larger sack, with his tail. With a flourish, he unveiled the plastic wrapping, and Blake and Yang could now both assailed by the smell of grease and cooked beef.

"Who wants tacos?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

Two notes; first, I'm not sure what a Lien is worth, although the bar tab Qrow picked up in season 5 would be mindblowing if 1 lien = 1 USD. So, I opted for something more akin to the Japanese Yen. Second, I always found it strange that Ember Celicia was whole and no mess made of the topic. Possibly a bit squicky, I guess, but then, you *did* have a character get their arm lopped off, so... Anyways, as always, I'm grateful to those who've been reading, following, favoriting, and commenting, even if I show it poorly. Thanks, truly.

Music o' the day - In my arms - plumb


	6. Chapter 6

"So, how do I look? Spiffy enough?" Weiss looked her teammate up and down as Ruby twirled on the spot. Truthfully, she didn't look much different than normal, with a black skirt, full length stockings, and a long-sleeved black blouse, and her traditional red cloak. The only differences were the skirt being a bit longer than normal, and the lack of red flair that she was used to, although that was probably a good thing at the Schnee Estate. Still... Weiss pushed herself forward and tugged a loose corner on the blouse which had come untucked.

 _It's hardly perfect, but then again, this IS Ruby we're talking about. It will have to do, I suppose,_ she thought to herself. She pushed back on her wheelchair and gave a non-committal shrug.

"And we are officially landed," a deep male voice sounded over an intercom into their cabin. "Please begin making your way to the docking ramp, and thank you again for choosing Air Atlas for your transportation needs."

"Well, ladies, that's our cue," Jacques had stopped outside the cabin, suitcase in hand. "Ready for Atlas, Miss Rose?"

"As I'll ever be, sir!" Ruby stood to attention and gave Jacques an exaggerated salute.

"Very good. I'm glad you're taking to the position. Let's go." With that, Jacques started down the hallway as Ruby took her position behind Weiss' wheelchair, who craned her neck to follow Ruby with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Too weird?" Ruby asked as she pushed on after Jacques. Weiss began tapping agitatedly on the arm rest for a second before settling herself. She turned herself around and looked up to Ruby, held her hand out horizontally above her head, and lowered it to in front of her chin.

"Down? Oh, tone it down?" Ruby asked.

 _"Phew, thank goodness."_ Weiss gave her partner a gracious nod, then pointed forward in a grand gesture.

"Alright, alright. Hey, you're not gonna boss me around too much, right? I guess I kinda work for you now... hmm, this is a little weirder than I realized..." Ruby rambled on as they approached the docking ramp. A warm breeze greeted them as Weiss shrugged off Ruby's concern with a wave of her hand.

"Oh... oh wow, I guess that's why your dad wasn't too impressed with the rental back in Vale." Ruby's eyes went wide as they left the shining, metal ramp and were greeted by a sleek, black limousine with tinted windows parked down the runway. Two men in dark suits and sunglasses were putting their suitcases into the trunk. "Wait, why is the limo parked on the runway?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"Because this is our airport, naturally," Jacques interjected, handing his suitcase off to one of the men. "We do hire outside air travel of course, maintaining airships is unreasonably expensive, but there are plenty of firms willing to service the Schnee port. Now, let's be on our way, ladies," he added, gesturing to the limo.

"Right, yes sir," Ruby responded with a bit less gusto than last time, directing Weiss over to the rear seating as Jacques took his place in the front passenger seat. "Better?" She whispered to Weiss as she opened the door. Weiss hobbled out of the chair on her good leg, bracing herself on the car as she ducked in, settling herself on the black leather. She gestured to the seat next to her as Ruby seemed to pause for a moment.

"Uh, yeah... look, I'm just trying to do this right, okay?" She said as she took the seat next to Weiss, who responded by scowling and grabbing her scroll.

 _You're doing fine. It's just weird is all. I'll get used to it._

"Alright, well, uh, if I screw up, let me know, please?" Weiss gave her an incredulous look as the vehicle lurched into gear.

 _There is a data limit for text on this, you know that?"_

"Oh, haha, Princess, well I'm glad you haven't lost your sarcasm along with your-" Ruby stopped herself as Weiss narrowed her sky blue eyes at her. She picked her scroll back up.

 _Going to finish that?_

"Weiss, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I just- I really need to think before I talk..." Ruby hung her head. "That was mean, and uncalled for." Weiss glared daggers at her for a couple more seconds before giving a silent sigh, holding her finger to the bridge of her nose.

 _You messed up._

"Yeah, I know that," Ruby said sorrowfully.

 _Good. Now, don't do it again, please._

Weiss offered her left hand. "Right!" Ruby grasped it with enthusiasm. "So, is there anything else important before we get there?"

 _My brother, Whitley. Just ignore him if possible. He takes after my parents._

"Well, I guess it's good I'm just supposed to follow you around, right?" Weiss frowned slightly at that remark.

 _You'll probably have to spend some time with Kohler. He runs the security. He's not bad. He trained me before I went to Beacon._

"Alright," Ruby held her hand up, counting fingers off. "Avoid Whitley, yes sir and yes ma'am, no slouching, don't talk to your parents before they talk to me, don't piss off Lehman, umm..."

Weiss put a hand to her forehead. " _Beacon gets destroyed and I'm still helping her with notes..._ "

"And _don't_ pet the dogs," Ruby said as they finished up an impromptu quiz. Weiss gave her a nod as the car crawled to a stop. The privacy window separating the cabin from the front lowered and Jacques peered back at the two girls.

"Well, we're back, girls. Let's see to the welcoming party."

"Welcoming party?" Ruby asked Weiss as Jacques got out of the front seat. Weiss gave her a non-committal shrug.

"Whelp. Let's do it!" Ruby clapped her hands, a determined look gracing her features. It was at that moment the door next to her popped open, sending a startled Ruby jumping into the roof of the vehicle. "Oof!" A man had opened the door for them, Weiss' wheelchair waiting for them. Rubbing her head, Ruby extricated herself from the car and stood with a hand extended for Weiss. Weiss accepted the offer and hopped on her good leg over to the chair.

"Woah. This really is a whole other world." They were now on a hilltop, the driveway extending down the hill practically to the horizon, where a tall, picketed gate separated the estate from the rest of the world. Vibrant, well-groomed grass rolled across the estate, only occasionally broken up by a pond down on the east side, and a manicured hedge line on the western side of the estate. The mansion itself was a massive affair, the sun gleaming off the white marble. A massive, vaulted roof was supported by columns on each side of the front doors, which were made of an oddly vibrant, pale red wood. She was shook from her reverie by a nudge from Weiss next to her as she realized they had an audience arriving.

A pale woman in a long, dark blue dress with white accents along the sleeves was strolling down the stairs from the mansion in heels. She had pale blue eyes, her blonde hair arranged in a neat bun, and she held herself with such a lofty manner Ruby half expected her to float right off the ground. Behind her, a lanky, younger boy followed her, with a curt expression on his face. He could have passed as Jacques' younger double, down to the pale blue eyes, trimmed snow-white hair, and neatly pressed suit and tie. Lastly, an older gentleman of moderate complexion followed the two. In contrast to them, he had dark, short hair, and a precise goatee, though both were streaked by gray. His attire also contrasted in color, a jet black suit, white shirt, and black tie. Ruby could feel him analyzing her with sharp, narrowed eyes as he followed them down the steps.

"Oh, my darlings!" The woman had a voice light, airy tone to it. "We were _so_ worried about you both!" On reaching the bottom step, the woman strode up to Jacques and gave him a brief hug and a kiss on each cheek. "I cannot imagine being trapped in such a place!" She continued as she drifted over to Weiss. "And my dear, dear, Weiss, how are you doing?" She reached down and briefly put her arm around her before straightening up again.

"Yes, dear sister," the young lad spoke up. "Do tell us how you're doing," he requested with a poker face. Weiss narrowed her eyes at him in a discourteous glare.

"Ah, Galiena, did you not inform Whitley of his sister's condition?" Jacques asked his wife. "You did get my message I sent off when we landed, yes?"

"Of course, honey," she responded with a dismissive wave. "Stygian notified us immediately." The dark-haired man gave Jacques a curt nod.

"My apologies! It must have slipped my mind," Whitley claimed, though his face was still rigid.

"Oh, so are you doing well, my dear?" Weiss' mother turned back to her. "Jacques said you were in that horrible battle!"

Weiss opened her mouth briefly before snapping it shut and responding with short nod.

"Well, wonderful! We've a dinner almost ready to celebrate your safe returns! Come, come!" With that, Galiena Schnee turned improbably on a high heel and began making her way back to the doors with Whitley in tow. Meanwhile, the dark-haired man stepped his way down, still giving Ruby an appraising look.

"Mr. Schnee, I take it this is the... intern? You mentioned in your missive?" He asked Jacques, who seemed to relax just a hair as his wife continued away.

"Ah, yes, this is Miss Ruby Rose, a teammate of Weiss'. She is here by Weiss' personal request. She already has combat experience, but I'm sure you'll be whipping her into shape anyways," he said with a chuckle as he put a hand on the man's shoulder and turned to face Ruby.

"Miss Rose, this is Stygian Kohler, head of security here at the household. He'll be your superior."

"Okay... uh, sir!" Ruby gave a belated salute to the two men.

"Very well. Miss Rose, please follow me. I wish to see what I'm working with," Stygian gave her a curt nod and headed up the stairs. Ruby looked to Weiss, who gave her a nod and pointed after Stygian.

"Come now, Weiss, we wouldn't want to keep your mother waiting," Jacques started up the stairs before pausing as a realization hit him.

"Ah, would-" before he could finish his request, a servant had fetched the crutches from the back of the limo and offered them to Weiss, who hopped up out of the chair.

 _"It never seemed like so many stairs before..."_

"Weiss, will you be okay?" Jacques questioned his daughter.

 _"Never better,"_ she thought to herself bitterly. _"But damned if I'm going to let him see weakness."_

She gave her father a stern nod, and began working her way up the stairs, one step at a time.

* * *

"So, Miss Rose, tell me of your combat experience," Stygian asked Ruby as he led her down a brightly lit hallway with his hands held behind his back.

"Well, I've been training in combat since I was ten, although I didn't make my weapon until I was fourteen," she started.

"You made your weapon?" He asked, turning his head slightly.

"Yes, sir. I named her crescent rose," she answered, patting the metallic box strapped to the back of her belt.

"So, practical experience, please. I don't particularly care for whatever they pretend they teach you in school."

"Um, I've been in three fights against the white fang," Ruby started. Stygian gave her another short look as he continued.

"Interesting. It seems they were looking into that academy of yours. It makes one wonder if they had an inside agent," he pondered aloud.

"I... don't think so," Ruby said with less assertiveness than she'd intended.

"Oh? Were there not faunus at the academy?" He asked her as he came to a stop next to a polished, white wooden door on the right.

"I mean, yeah, there were, but we already kinda figured out who a few people were that had infiltrated the school, and they were humans."

"Hmm... Continue, then. Do you have any other practical experience?" He asked her as he opened the door and gestured for her to go inside.

"I fought some of those new model Atlesian mechs. Plus some of the soldier units that were going nuts at Beacon."

"Not too bad," he admitted as he followed her into a massive gymnasium. Light poured in from windows several stories up, illuminating the cold, marble floor. To the far side from them were a pair of double doors. Next to them were tall, metallic lockers. The rest of the room was oddly bare. "Perhaps you'll be salvageable yet," he commented as he continued walking over to the lockers.

"What?"

"Miss Rose, how old are you?"

"Sixteen... sir," she said slowly, giving him a curious look.

"Frankly, Miss Rose, if Mr. Schnee had not given a glowing recommendation, I would immediately demand you be tossed out. It is one thing to train the heiress, but being given command of a teenager is insulting." He pulled a keychain from his suit pocket and unlocked the locker farthest from the doors, revealing a dulled, ordinary looking longsword held in a holster on the back wall of the locker. He withdrew the sword and turned to Ruby, holding it aloft in both hands. "So, Miss Rose, let me see why I should not report to Mr. Schnee that you are a hopeless case."

"You... want to fight me?" She asked him.

"Of course. I assume you have unlocked your aura, correct?" Ruby nodded, a smile growing on her features as she grabbed Crescent Rose and the weapon opened up into its scythe form. "Good. Don't hold back."

* * *

"So then Lena just collapsed on the spot!" Jacques tsk tsk'd to his wife's story as the elderly Klein Sieben began pouring a glass of wine for him. "I told her she pushes herself much too hard, and sure enough! Heart attack at 45!"

Weiss frowned slightly, but getting the gossip column was inevitable after their time gone. They were seated around the large, ebony table in the dining room, waiting as Klein directed the rest of the servant to set dinner. Klein gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed by, giving her a smile before heading off to help direct a young man with a Maultsachen dish.

"Well, enough for things around here," Galiena said as she gently stirred a drink in a cocktail glass. "Jacques, dear, what happened over there? The reports were saying it was a terrorist attack, but you know how unreliable the news can be."

Jacques gripped his wine glass just a bit tighter has allowed himself a sip. "It was those white fang," he answered with a scowl. "Damn terrorists, and nobody's doing a thing about them. Well, although, our Weiss acquitted herself admirably against them," he said with a fond glance down the table to his daughter, raising his glass slightly. Weiss gave him a brief nod before he continued. "Atlesian military was there, and they botched the whole thing. Obviously, we can't trust any of them. If they're not outright against us, then they're so incompetent it doesn't matter anyways."

"And, Jacques, dear, that's why you brought that, er, thing back with you?" Weiss dropped her mask for a moment, looking at her mother in disgust before setting herself back.

"Galiena, please do try to be courteous to Miss Rose. She saved Weiss' life during that awful battle. The family does owe her a great debt." Weiss noticed Whitley's eyes glance very briefly at his father before returning to the task of cutting a slice of roasted pork on his plate.

"Oh, well that's excellent then, I suppose..." she answered as she poked at the salad before her. "Still, she's far too ragged looking; we'll have to fix her up if she's to be around the household. Weiss, dear, she's your friend, yes? Do take her into the city tomorrow and get her cleaned up. She needs her hair done _badly_. And see if you can't find her better attire. That hood will simply not do. Klein shall accompany you."

"Yes, ma'am, of course," Klein gave a short bow to the lady.

 _"Well, at least it'll get us out of the house,"_ Weiss thought to herself as she gave her mother an affirmative nod.

"Are you sure that is wise, dear?" Jacques interjected. "Weiss is still recovering, after all." Weiss turned her head to her father in silent rage.

"You're paying that girl to be security, yes?"

"Well, yes, that is the purpose-"

"Then I don't see any issues. Vale may be a rundown doghouse, but Atlas is much safer. And I don't want to see that girl around here until she gets trimmed up."

Jacques coughed into his fist. "Well, Weiss, you heard your mother. I suppose Miss Rose should be shown around town anyways."

* * *

Ruby and Stygian stood at odds in the middle of the gymnasium, weapons drawn on each other, the only sound being each person's even, measured breaths. Ruby decided to initiate, dropping her scythe to her waist and charging forward. She started with an upward swing, which Stygian sidestepped, turning his evasive maneuver into an aggressive one as he spun on the spot and delivered a quick jab into Ruby's side with his elbow before settling himself into a wary stance again. Ruby opted for another aggressive move, jumping forward and bring crescent rose down in a diagonal arc, which Stygian once more evaded, this time crouching to the right. As Ruby spun to bring the momentum of her first swing into another, however, she felt a sharp jab in her back just as it was turned, sending her off balance and crashing into the floor.

"Now, Miss Rose, this is not the first time I've fought a scythe wielder," Stygian admonished her. "Please tell me you can do better this," he continued, feigning interest in the pommel of his sword. Ruby picked herself up, a smirk on her face. Even with the older man's taunts, just being able to get back into the action, being able to feed off adrenaline, was a thrill.

She jumped forward again, this time pre-emptively spinning herself three hundred and sixty degrees as she reached him. Stygian managed to pull backwards out of range, which Ruby responded to by taking off from the ground and sailing over him, bringing crescent down with all her momentum. A brilliant clang rang out as Stygian raised the longsword over his head to halt the blow, before turning on a dime and delivering another quick elbow to Ruby in the gut before spinning out and resetting himself in front of her.

"Miss Rose, do you have a semblance? If so, I highly suggest using it if you desire to hit me at some point," Stygian taunted her.

Ruby shrugged. "Alright."

In a puff of roses, Ruby seemingly vanished before Stygian before reappearing right in front of him, already in the middle of a horizontal swing. Stygian, however, was already taking one step forward, his blade held down vertically in one hand, nocking itself into the angle where Ruby's scythe edge met the haft, swinging her around him by the weapon. Ruby's momentum carried her past him and she landed with a slide as she turned back around. Giving another shot, she lurched forward and feigned a downward trike, intentionally pulling up short as Stygian raised his sword to defend himself. Using her momentum and activating her semblance once more, she cannonballed straight into him at maximum speed with her right shoulder, sending both of them to the ground in a tangled mess. Ruby shifted her weight to try and roll out, only to find a pricking sensation against her aura and found that in the chaos, Stygian had his sword held along her midsection as he kept a grip around her shoulder with his other arm.

"I believe that is check, Miss Rose," Stygian said in a huff. Ruby growled, trying to scramble her brain to figure out how to bring crescent rose to bear. "Do you admit defeat?"

Ruby hung her head, not knowing how to extricate herself. "... Yes," she admitted with a sigh.

"Very good." Stygian withdrew his sword's position, let her go, and stood up, patting his suit down. "Miss Rose, intentionally closing in on someone with a sword when you have an overlarge scythe was exceedingly stupid."

Ruby gave him a baleful look as the head of security gave her a dressing down.

"But... it was also very unexpected and creative. Your semblance is also quite interesting. I was not sure what to expect out of a speed semblance, I admit."

"Wait, you knew my semblance?" Ruby asked him.

"Of course. What, you think the head of Schnee security doesn't do his homework?" He asked her with a bemused expression as he offered a hand to her. Ruby accepted it and pulled herself up. "Granted, it was mostly a convenience that I was able to pull your file, on account of being young Miss Schnee's teammate."

"You had files on all of us?" Ruby asked with some incredulity.

"Of course!" Stygian puffed up a bit at the insinuation. "It was part of my job to ensure her safety when she enrolled at the academy. So, yes, I had a file on you, your sister, and the faunus."

"How much do you know about us?"

"You mean, do I know that your faunus has ties to a terrorist group? It is lucky she was not observed making any hostile moves against the heiress, or things would have gotten very complicated."

"She's not our faunus. She has a name, and it's Blake," Ruby said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm..." Stygian's lip curled very slightly as he stroked his goatee. "My apologies," he said with a short bow of his head. "The white fang has taken friends from me. And I have a long memory. Miss Schnee has vouched for your friend before, so I will not attempt to broach the subject any more. Now, come, I am sure the household staff will have set your room up by now."

"Wait... what about that whole 'judging me' thing?" Ruby asked him. "Does that mean I passed?"

"Well enough for now. I didn't particularly mean much of what I said earlier, for what it's worth. I was evaluating your temperament more than anything," he said as he walked back to the locker to stow his weapon. "After all, if Mr. Schnee wishes your employ, there's little I would do about it. That said, you are _very_ rough. Do they not teach you children how to duel anymore?"

"Well, we were more focused on fighting grimm than people," Ruby answered as they headed back out the gym. "I mean, we had duels, but they didn't really teach technique for it."

"Well, then we'll have to fix that. I'll expect to see you and Miss Schnee at eight in the morning from now on. I'm sure she's gotten rough around the edges as well if they don't bother teaching proper technique..." he grumbled. "Now, let's see," he pulled a card from his suit pocket as they turned into the hallway. "The eastern guest room, third floor," he muttered. "Naturally... you'll be quite near Miss Schnee's room, I suppose that makes sense. Let's see if the staff have you set up, that should give us time before dinner is finished. In response to the proposition, Ruby's stomach growled.

"So, are meals always just the family?" Ruby asked him as they approached a staircase. "When do we eat?"

"The staff have a separate meal room on the first floor, it won't be anything as fancy as the family usually, but occasionally the Madame will have the chef make something special as a show of gratitude. As for timing, I'm putting you for the same schedule as Miss Schnee, since you're her attached escort. Since you're apparently quite hungry, we can have you grab something quick after we-here we are!"

The third floor was painted a subdued, navy blue, contrasted against clean, white floor tiles. "Right here, the first room on the left," he strolled up to an oak door and gestured for her to open. Ruby obliged and was greeted by a lavish setup. Her old room back home was just a short, basic bed and a stubby desk with a mirror. This bed was a massive thing, draped by a canopy, held up by polished oak. Instead of a desk was a huge vanity, freshly painted white, along with several cabinets she noticed on the near wall. And on the right was-

"Wait, is that a bathroom?" She asked him as she darted in with a flash of rose petals. "In a guest bedroom?" Not just a bathroom, as it turned out, but a full shower as well, tiled with a dark, speckled granite.

"Welcome to the upper crust, Miss Rose," Stygian noted with a hint of amusement from the doorway. "It _does_ come with perks."

"Okay, well, let's grab something to eat, then," Ruby darted back out into the hallway. "This is great, but I'm starving!"

"Agreed. I've put my own dinner off long enough. Oh, one last note while we're here. Down the hall, do you see the ebony door down there?" Stygian pointed to a door at the far end of hallway.

"Yeah?"

"That is Miss Schnee's room. If you need the Madame or Mr. Schnee, their room is on the second floor, as is Whitley. We can go on the full tour tomorrow. Mr. Schnee requested that I take you around the grounds, so we can acclimate then. Now," he said as they reached the bottom floor once more. "Take a right here... then a left... another right and here we are, the servants dining room."

"This... is gonna take some getting used to. This mansion is like learning the school again!"

"You'll get used to it, I'm sure," Stygian said with a wave of his hand. He opened the door and Ruby was greeted by a comparatively plain room, aside from the fireplace in the far wall, currently unused thanks to the summer season. There were multiple, long, polished wooden tables set with identical, navy blue table cloths. Stygian walked to the near wall and opened a door, at which Ruby could hear a racket of clanging coming from inside. "One men's and one women's order, Bryce! Oh, and a pot of tea!" Ruby could hear more indistinguishable shouting before Stygian closed the door and sat down at the end of a table.

"Uh..." Ruby started as she took a seat opposite him. "What was that about? Men's and women's order?"

"Ah... right... "Stygian scratched the back of his head. "The Madame is..." he paused for a long moment, thinking on his choice of words. "Very concerned with the welfare of the staff and household. To put it bluntly, she has hired a dietician who is convinced of a strict, dietary plan for the men and women. I would not advise you to break from the plan, at least until she changes her mind. Each day has its own, different meal for each gender."

"Oooookay. I guess that makes sense," Ruby said with trepidation.

"So, while we wait on our food, do you have any questions?" Stygian held his arms open. "I am a reasonably open book about some subjects."

"Well, where'd you learn to fight? Do you have a semblance? I haven't fought anyone who could dodge like that."

"I was trained in combat as an apprentice by an old fellow who himself was taught by a survivor of The War. Nothing too special to say, really, old coots passing down their old ways, but I apparently impressed enough at a dueling show that old Nicholas offered me a job. Turns out I also have a knack for information gathering as well. Which is good, I don't get to stretch my muscles as much as I used to. As for a semblance, no, I'm afraid if I do have one, I never figured it out," he admitted as he reached for a kettle of tea that a servant had deposited at the end of the table for them, along with a couple of plain, small mugs.

"How do you react so quick, then?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side.

"That's an old coot secret," he responded with a short smirk. "You don't like tea?" He asked, indicating the pot.

"Caffeine before bed is bad for me. Also apparently it's bad for me in general. Weiss gets mad at me if I have sugar or caffeine."

"Hmm... perhaps some of her mother is rubbing off on her," the older man mused.

"No, I think it's just that I get really hyper. And annoying, I guess," Ruby admitted.

"Ah, the advantages of youth," Stygian commented as he sipped his tea. "Anyways, to actually answer your question earlier, your body is quite expressive." Ruby raised an eyebrow at the remark. "It's a function of your weapon; when you angle for an upward strike, your left shoulder dips, your right shoulder inches forward, your waist turns, and your left foot drags. Pretty standard and correct scythe technique, nothing wrong with that, but you were quite easy to read until you activated your semblance. Granted, you still had tells, but they are much harder to read, of course."

"You can tell all that just by looking at someone and act on it in the same instant?"

"It takes time and practice; like I said, it's an old coot technique. Miss Schnee knows how to do these things, but I doubt she's practiced enough to execute. Her older sister, though... heh" He shook his head and a pause elapse for moment as a servant emerged from the kitchen with two plates; a dish of fish and steamed broccoli for Ruby, and a plate of thinly sliced beef, onions, and an unidentifiable dark green flower Ruby had never seen before.

"Cheers, Miss Rose," he offered, raising his cup of tea slightly.

"Thanks..." Ruby paused to examine her plate.

"I assure, you it's probably not poisoned," Stygian noted to her as he started on his own plate.

"So, Weiss' sister is pretty good?" She asked as she started cutting her fish.

"The best," he said curtly. "I couldn't hope to beat her at this point. I think Weiss could probably approach her eventually. She has her sister's drive, maybe more, although not quite the same natural talent. Err, please, don't tell her I said that."

"Right, no problem," Ruby said as she dug in. "Oh, back to questions, Weiss said you have dogs?"

"Yes, we've a stock of Atlesian shepherds. Excellent, excellent dogs. There's a reason the police use them. But, I would advise against contact with them until they've had time to acclimate to you. They are naturally distrustful of strangers."

"Okay, well-" Ruby was interrupted by a knock on the door. She turned and saw Weiss on her crutches, standing in the doorway, which was being held open by a kindly looking older gentleman.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, then, Miss Rose," Stygian said. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning. Remember, eight o' clock, sharp. No tardiness."

"Yes sir!" Ruby gave her exaggerated salute before spinning around and departing with Weiss.

"Well, are you going to be alright, now, Weiss?" The older fellow asked Weiss as they moved towards the staircase, giving a significant look to the stairs. Weiss brushed him off and marched over to the stairs with a determined thunk. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said, a warmth in his voice.

"So... how was dinner?" Ruby asked as she caught up to Weiss, taking up a spot next to her as she worked the stairs with her crutches. Weiss blew a stray strand of hair out of her face and let her face show her displeasure. "Well, I got my butt kicked by your teacher," Ruby continued on. Weiss huffed as she turned herself around on the landing to the next level. Ruby took that as a sign to quiet down as she followed Weiss up the stairs until the third level. When they arrived, Weiss pointed to the ebony door down the hall.

"Oh, yeah, uh, Mr. Kohler said that was your room?" Weiss nodded and they took off down the hall to her room. Ruby opened the door for Weiss, who tromped in, set the crutches on the wall, and stumped over to her bed and flopped onto it gracelessly, exhaling loudly. She gave herself a moment and pulled out her scroll and tapped out a message.

 _We're going out tomorrow._

"Huh?"

 _Mother wants you to fix your hair. And your nails, probably. And we'll go clothes shopping. She hates your hood._

"Wait, my hood? Aww..." Ruby pouted.

 _Thanks._

"Huh?" Ruby looked at her with a confused look.

 _I'm sorry for being pissy earlier. Thanks for being here for me._

"Hey, it's okay," Ruby said, planting herself next to Weiss on the bed and bouncing a bit on the soft mattress. "Oh, after eight or whenever. Mr. Kohler wants to put me into training. And you too, I think."

 _Please just call him Stygian."_

"Sweet, works for me." Ruby paused with a sigh and leaned into Weiss' shoulder. "I mean, really though, I should be thanking you, Weiss." Weiss pulled over slightly, giving Ruby a confused look. "Well, I mean, I get paid a bunch of money to train with a weird old guy, live in a fancy mansion, and hang out with you. Although if your mom doesn't let me have sugar, I might explode at some point..."

Weiss just smiled and leaned back into Ruby, the two watching the last vestiges of the sun set into the horizon out her window. There was a whole world of problems she'd returned to, on top of the ones she already had, but for now, she had this moment with Ruby.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Getting back into the groove feels good. Now that everyone is heading their separate ways, we'll be dedicating chapters to specific settings, rather than bouncing around like a snooker ball mid-chapter. Hopefully, this keeps things concise and clear in the minds of the reader. Thanks, again, for everyone who's left a review, follow, and favorite.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright, got your spare clothes?"

"Yes, dad."

"Got your weapon?"

"Dad..."

"Oh, and you still have the cash card, right?"

"Dad!"

"Yes?'

"It's okay. We'll be fine." Yang, Tai, and Blake were standing out on the pier in Vale. A strong, cool, salty breeze blew in from the ocean as Tai publicly triple checked his oldest daughter's readiness. Around them, a squall of people moved around them like the ocean's own waves.

"Right... you're a big girl now, I know. But, it's my job to worry about this," Tai continued, running a hand through his hair. "You _sure_ you've got everything you need? Menagerie's a bit of a hop, skip, and a jump."

"Dad," Yang said, putting her arm on his shoulder. "It's. Okay. Alright?"

"Alright, alright," Tai took a deep breath and grabbed Yang into a hug. "I know it's weird, but it's just... well, with you being the oldest, you're my first baby. It's hard to let that go."

"Aww."

"Blake, you're not helping!"

"Hey." Tai pulled back from his embrace and looked Yang straight in the eyes. "I know I'm a pain in the ass, and that you can take care of yourself, it's just..." Tai blinked a tear from his eyes. "Write, or something, okay? I know the comms are jacked right now. Just, try to keep me up to date, occasionally. Alright?"

With a sigh, Yang pulled her father in for one last, one-armed hug. "Yeah, yeah... now I know where Ruby gets her puppy dog eyes from. Don't worry, old man, I'll keep you in the loop."

"Trust me, she doesn't get them from me," Tai told her with a wistful smile as he pulled away. "Alright! Your boat's set to take off in an hour, so you'd both better get a move on. And Blake?"

"Yes?" Blake gave him just the slightest of bows as she responded.

"Try to keep her out of trouble, okay?" Tai gave her a playful wink.

"I'll do my best, sir," Blake said with a faint smile as she again gave him a slight bow of affirmation.

"Alright, girls, get a move-on, then! Don't wanna be late for your big trip. I gotta go have a chat with Qrow, he said he's got some 'big business' he needs to chat with me about, and I've been putting him off all day." With that, Tai waved the two young ladies goodbye as they stood in front of the docking platform to the S.S. Andiamo. Yang gave Blake a short look as they took a moment.

"What?" Blake asked innocently.

"Aww?" Yang asked in a mocking tone with a raised eyebrow.

"It was cute," Blake insisted. "He came across the world to see his daughters when he heard everything went down, and he cares a lot about both of you. It's... admirable..." she said, looking down at her feet as she finished, ears flattened to her head.

"Hey, we're a team, right?" Yang asked as she leaned into Blake with her bad arm. "We're sticking together, thick and thin."

"Yeah. Yeah, just..." Blake sniffled as she tried to compose herself.

"Aww, c'mon, Blake. We're good," Yang affirmed to her as she reached around with her good arm and gave the faunus a quick embrace. "Just... you know, don't-"

"Right." Blake broke from the embrace and gave her teammate a confident nod. "C'mon, we should get ourselves set up."

"Hmm... where the hell is Sun, anyways? He said he was gonna see us off," Yang wondered as they marched to the wharf to present their tickets, each dragging a small suitcase behind them.

"It's Sun," Blake shrugged. "Who knows what he's up to? He's easier to distract than Zwei."

"Well, his loss."

"Top deck, aft side, miss." The older, grayed man taking their tickets pointed out to them.

"Right... yup... aft... aft..." Yang swiveled her head around as they passed onto the deck. "Aft..."

"It means the back of the boat, Yang."

"Well yeah, I mean, obviously, I was just trying to figure the fastest way to get there."

"You mean like just following the deck until we're at the back of the ship?"

"Well, I guess that works, sure."

"Have you ever actually been sailing before, Yang?" Blake asked as they strolled past a mother goat faunus trying to console an infant in her arms.

"Kinda. Me and Ruby tried to make a canoe once back home. Wasn't really our most successful venture. But, we did make it off the shore before we realized it had a hole in it, so yes, I have technically been on a boat before."

"Well, hopefully this is a better experience," Blake said as she ran her hand along the edge of a doorframe as they pulled to a stop. "Cabin twenty six, here we are. Home away from home." Blake swung the door open and they were greeted by a modest affair. There was a single, full size mattress, adorned by a pair of pillows and thin sheets; as well, there was one small, cube-like chair and a miniature coffee table. The walls were covered in a cheap, but clearly cared for wallpaper with light blue, tropical flowers.

"Huh, cozy." Yang stomped on in, dragging her suitcase, slit it against the wall and flopped onto the bed.

"Could be worse," Blake said with some caution as she followed in, closing the door behind her. "Guess we're sharing, she said with a hint of a frown.

"Jeez, don't sound so disappointed!" Yang grabbed her teammate by the wrist and pulled her down onto the mattress with her.

"Now who's the one getting frisky? You've been at arm's length since you put on that show for Weiss."

"Oh come on that was hardly a show. Besides, my dad's been around since then, and I didn't need another _talk_ like that first one. Actually," Yang turned her head over to Blake and gave her a nuzzle into her neck. "We haven't talked about your parents. How're we gonna handle that?" At the mention, Blake visibly stiffened up. "Hmm?" Yang pulled her gaze up to Blake's. "A little awkward too, huh?" Blake sighed and gazed into the ceiling.

"Where to start?"

"Well, just pick a spot, and I'll listen. I mean, if you want."

"Now's as good a time as any, and you deserve some explanations." Blake took a deep breath and started in. "I ran away from home four years ago. I-"

"You ran away from home at fourteen?" Yang asked with an incredulous tone.

"I thought you were going to listen?" Blake turned her head over and gave Yang a reproachful look.

"Right, right, go on..."

"I ran away from home at fourteen. It's not like I had a bad home or anything, my parents are... my parents are... well I guess you'll see them soon enough. They loved me. But, we had some disagreements. Dad especially was always trying to put out fires, keep the faunus from going into full scale revolt. Him and mom wanted things to progress between faunus and humans without violence. But, every week, someone would come into port, just escaped from a dust mine, or run out of their homes by a mob. And I didn't want to wait. It just felt like nothing was happening, so... one day I just signed up with the white fang and left. Grabbed a bag, a spare set of clothes, and gambol shroud and left without saying a word."

"I wanted to be part of something. I think it's something we've got in common, actually," Blake ran a finger along Yang's cheek. "Can't stand sitting around, while bad things happen to people. Adam's group, especially... we did some good things, Yang. We helped a lot of faunus." She looked at her girlfriend with pleading eyes, asking for understanding. "We also did some things that... weren't great. That didn't really help faunus, just hurt humans. That's where I realized something wasn't right. It stopped being about setting faunus workers free from slavery conditions, or helping a shopkeeper who was being bullied. It was more about sending messages, about sabotaging and attacking. That's when I decided I didn't want anything else to do with Adam. So, I did the thing I do best, and ran. Ran off to Beacon, and got everyone there-"

"Eyyyno-" Yang moved herself around to free her left arm, which had been lying underneath her and held up a finger. "I'm interrupting again. No more guilt trips over Beacon, okay? There's a whole lot going on more than just that nutjob looking for you. He's just a tiny man, a cog in some machine." Blake swallowed.

"Okay. Well, beyond all that, I'm an only child, going back to her parents after running away with no more notice than a note left on the fridge so she could go be a part of a terrorist group. Oh, and if they still don't just kick me off the island for that, I'm trying to figure out how to explain that I've decided to start dating a human girl, which is several levels of declaring 'you may not be getting grandkids'".

"Alright, so you wanna play things chill when we get there?"

"If that's okay? Look it's not like I'm ashamed or anything I swear it's-"

"Hey, I get it. We were just talking about trying to keep things on the lowdown in front of my dad, and I know he means well, even if he's a pain in the ass."

"Thanks, Yang." A deep air horn sounded from outside, indicating departure.

"Hey, I've been stuck in a sad hospital room for way too long now," Yang hopped up, changing the subject. "And it's preeeetty nice out. Wanna go get some sunshine out on the deck? I saw they had some chairs set up."

"That sounds nice," Blake accepted Yang's offered hand and pulled herself up. "Let me just grab something to read while we're out."

* * *

FIRE. SMOKE. Yang coughed as an acrid, burning sensation filled her lungs. It was so dark, but Yang could feel where she was. She was here again. She darted forward, dodging around pieces of falling timber that she could feel and hear, but not see. Where was she? Where had Blake gotten to? They had to get out of here! She came to a stop as she pulled through a doorway and saw him. His red hair seemed to glare through the darkness at her, his white mask shining in contrast to it.

"Come to try your hand again?" He asked her with a cocky tone. "It's okay; you can try as many times as you want, and we'll just get the same result," he continued, flicking his sword out its sheath with his thumb.

"Where's Blake?" Yang demanded as her eyes flooded into a deep red.

He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. My kitty is an elusive one, isn't she? But, I'll find her and put her back into her place."

"Raaaaaaaagh!" Yang lunged at him in a rage, firing a blast from Ember Celica as she fell down to his position. She connected! She'd never landed a blow before. A sickening crack could be heard as his head twisted unnaturally to the side at a ninety degree angle.

"Heh, not bad, for a human."

"What?" With a flash, his head snapped back in place and his sword seemed to teleport as he brought it upwards from its scabbard, straight through her right arm... her right arm?! Yang watched it fall to the darkness, practically in slow motion as he circled her in an instant, and struck through her left at the same spot. Yang dropped to her knees as pain washed over her. All she could feel was agony...fire... and suddenly a cool, copper pool as she collapsed into what she knew was her own blood.

"Sorry, bitch, but she's mine," Adam Taurus hissed as he leaned down to her face. He drew his katana along the side of her face, eliciting a small trickle of blood. "She's mine, and no human is going to do anything about that."

"YANG!"

"Blake?" Yang called out weakly for her. She could hear Blake calling for her, but from where? She couldn't even see anything, other than the flames, and Adam...

"YANG!"

"I..."

"No, you're nothing," Adam spat at her. "Just a waste of life. NOW DIE!" Yang could feel his sword ready to slice at her neck, waiting...

"YANG!"

"Uwaah!" Yang tumbled out their bed, hitting the floor with a solid thud. Right... she was on the ship... with Blake. She was-

"Yang, are you alright?" It was dark, but she could see Blake's eyes glowing in the darkness at her from the other side of the bed. Right, Blake didn't have any issues with the dark. Yang hit the light switch and a faint light overtook the cabin. Their small mattress looked like a bear had been scavenging through it; the headboard had a splintered hole in it, and the sheets had been tossed aside in every direction.

"I'm fine..." Yang ran a hand through her hair and breathed a sigh of frustration. "I need some air." With that, Yang flipped open the door and stomped out.

 _"Every time. Every FUCKING time!"_ She thought to herself as she stumped over to the railing. Moonlight gleamed down on her and she could hear gentle waves against the ship's hull down below. It was so peaceful here. The contrast was almost too much. Yang almost jumped out of her pajamas as a pair of arms circled her from behind and she felt Blake rest her head on the back of her shoulder.

"You kicked me out of the bed," Blake said with a faint bit of humor. "Wanna talk?"

"What'd you see in him?" Yang asked bitterly. "What was so goddamn great about him?" She pulled away and rested against the rail, glaring daggers at Blake.

"You mean-"

"YES I MEAN ADAM!"

"You ever been called a freak, Yang?" Blake shot back. "What about Ruby? Or your dad, are they freaks?"

Yang had the decency to move her glare off, looking up at the full moon, her breathing still heavy as adrenaline pumped through her system. "...No, but-"

"But what, Yang? Hmm? You've never had anyone look at you like a sub-person because of shit like this!" Yang nearly jumped back over the railing as she felt five pricking sensations drawing a line as Blake drew her hand along Yang's left arm. Yang swung her glance back to Blake, who stood now almost directly face to face with her.

"Wait, you have-"

"Yes, Yang! I have funny ears and retractable claws and like tuna way too much, so obviously I'm just an animal!" Blake practically screamed into her face. "You wanna know why Adam can get so many followers? What's so great about him? Because humans don't understand us. When you spend your whole life wondering why humans treat you and everyone like you like sub-humans, and trying to be peaceful about it isn't working, what's left? Adam's a monster, but he's passionate and energetic. He has big ideas. When nothing else is left, what are people supposed to turn to?"

"Blake... you know you're not a freak to me, right?" Yang asked weakly as she felt the adrenaline finally abandoning her. "It's just... this is the fifth time that I've been reliving that night in my dreams. And every time, I can feel it, losing my arm again and again, and sometimes it's even worse, I..." Yang listlessly settled onto Blake's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm just an ignorant idiot. Maybe I'll never understand. But, I _want_ to understand. Help me, please..."

Blake sighed and gripped her teammate around the shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. It's just frustrating. I _know_ you're trying, and I'm trying to be more open. It's hard when there's not a lot you've done to be proud of. Why do you think I can't stop feeling guilty over the attack? A lot of good, decent people died or got hurt... but mostly _you_ got hurt, trying to defend me, against my own past. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"You _shouldn't_ feel bad about it, because it's my fault. I'm the one that messed up. I didn't even get a hit on him."

"...It's going to be a while before we're really over Beacon, isn't it?" Blake whispered in fear, gripping Yang tighter. "I did some bad things with the White Fang, but nothing's like this."

"Well, we could try doing it... together?" Yang offered, pulling her head back. "I'm sorry I snapped about Adam. I know you're past him... can you-"

"I- it's okay, Yang. You should be mad about him. _I'm_ mad about him. And I can't even imagine reliving that..." Blake stroked her hand down Yang's maimed arm. "I'd say you should've told me sooner, but I guess that'd make me a hypocrite," she said sadly.

"I hate it. I hate feeling so weak. And now I'm just... fucked," Yang gave her bad arm a pathetic wiggle. "I'm stuck like this, how am I supposed to fight like this? Sun even got my other half of Ember Celica back and I can't even use her right anymore."

"Hey," Blake leaned and gave Yang a short, tender kiss. "You- we'll figure something out. When we get to Kuo Kuana, we'll do some sparring. Get some of that tension worked out of your system. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah... yeah. Hey, until then, maybe work out some of that tension in our cabin?" Blake smiled as her teammate showed off her trademark smirk.

"Down, girl. Maybe if you behave tomorrow."

"Hey, I was-"

"Ewww, Mommy, they kissed!" Blake and Yang froze up and slowly turned their heads down the deck. A small, scale covered boy with shining eyes was peeking out from behind a corner at them.

"Sterling, there you are!" A young faunus woman with short, brown hair, dark scales, and similarly shining eyes came behind him, scooping the lad up in her arms. "I'm so sorry, he's so adventurous that I-" the woman stopped herself as she looked upon the two with hesitation. "Yes, as I said, my apologies, let's go, Sterling." She turned her back curtly and walked briskly with the child in tow.

"...I guess we made a bit of a racket, huh," Yang said flatly.

"Yeah, let's go back," Blake sighed and shook her head.

"Uh, is it 'cuz I'm human?" Yang asked as she followed along behind Blake. "Or is it the whole 'gay' thing?"

"Some faunus are... very insistent on keeping bloodlines going," Blake said carefully as she opened the door. "Not as many of us around anymore, so, yeah, it's sorta frowned on to be going out with someone the same gender. Not that most people will say anything about it. Of course it could just be good, old fashioned racism."

"Well, fuck'em, then. But, I guess that's why you wanna play things low key when we get to your parents?"

"I don't think they'll have any issues with you being human," Blake considered as she sat back down on their mattress. "More just the 'whole gay thing'. Maybe", she added with finger quotes.

"Alright, well, we'll deal with that when we get there. I'm wiped, let's try this aga-. Wow, I jacked this thing up!" Yang inspected the hole she'd made earlier in the headboard. Blake frowned, seeming to consider a comment as she crawled into bed with Yang, flipping off the light.

"Guess I'll just have to hold on extra tight this time," she said with an exaggerated faux sigh, latching her arms around Yang's midsection and nuzzling into her neck. "So my brute of a partner doesn't destroy the whole cabin next time."

"Blake?"

"Yeah?" Blake pulled up and Yang was awed once again at how her eyes could seem like beacons in the dark.

"I know I'm really bad at saying this stuff, and maybe I seem ungrateful sometimes, but thanks. For letting me come along. And uh, be with you."

"I'm just happy you let me back in. For someone whose schtick is getting mad, you're pretty forgiving."

"Nah. Only to the people who're special to me."

"...Special?"

"It a funny way, it was you leaving that made me realize it. Sitting in that hospital with nowhere to go, when I couldn't fight anything or even just go run. It was like having this razor blade carve through me, not having you there. I was so damn mad, but at some point I realized I was only so mad because I loved you that much in the first place."

"...Thanks, Yang. I-I love you too."

Yang closed her eyes and smirked. "I know. Nighty night, Blake."

"You know, I'm glad we got all that stuff off our chests." It was the next morning, and Yang was picking out a couple of lawn chairs that had been unfolded for the guests on the aft deck. "I mean, I get it... I think," she continued as she plopped down to enjoy the sun, wearing a light tank, shorts, and a pair of cheap, substitute sunglasses Tai had bought before they left. "We're pretty jacked up, but at least we know it, right?"

"I guess... that's comforting?" Blake said as she sat down on the chair next to Yang with her copy of The Man With Six Souls.

"I'm just saying, now we can just look ahead. Sure, we might be messed up, but now we can-"

"Well jeez, _I_ could've told you guys you were messed up."

"Fucking seriously?" Yang and Blake both slowly turned their heads to the left as a familiar, golden-haired faunus boy swaggered up, wearing only a pair of athletic shorts and sandals, and plopped himself on the chair to Yang's left with a gratified sigh before sipping a colorful, unknown drink.

"Sun, what're you even doing here?" Blake asked.

"Hey, I said back in Vale, if you wanted to go back to your home, I'd smuggle you onto a ship myself if I had to."

"But we have tickets, you dingus."

"Well yeah, that just made the job easier since I only had to work on getting myself onboard."

"Wait, how'd you even get on? Do you have a room? And, seriously, are you stalking us or something?" Yang ran off a list of questions.

"Okay, in order; a) a magician never reveals his secrets, b) Yes, and c) C'mon, you think I don't have better things to do than stalk you guys?"

"Evidently not, seeing as you're kinda actually stalking us."

"Well okay actually I don't have anything earth shattering to do, but hey, I figured I've never been to Menagerie, might be cool to see what a place that's mostly faunus is like. And c'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Sun, what're you even going to do when we get there?" Sun shrugged.

"I'll figure something out. Planning's not really my thing."

"We know," both girls deadpanned simultaneously.

"Well, whatever. C'mon, I won't butt in too much; Sun Wukong knows when the third wheel needs to buzz off."

"Third wh- wait how do you?" Blake struggled for her words for a moment.

"Well, you guys weren't exactly subtle last night. Pretty sure half the boat knows you're a thing by now."

"So you are stalking us!"

"No, seriously. I was sleeping when your screaming woke me up. That is, the screaming you did _outside_ the cabin," he added with a wink.

"Gods, you're worse than my dad," Yang groaned. "Okay, ground rules, buster - from now on, we're keeping things on the down low, got it?" She gave him an emphatic point of her finger. "And if you fuck around with the teasing too much, I'm not going to guarantee I don't throw you overboard. Capiche?"

"Alright, alright," Sun held his hands up in surrender. "But, uh, hey, it's okay in my book. Just saying, I got your backs. If you don't mind having me tag along on occasion."

"Fine. Just tone down the smartass a bit and holy shit you really are like my dad. Gross."

"Shame I didn't get to hang out with him more, then. Sounds like a pretty amazing guy," Sun said with a grin as he kicked his sandals off and stretched his legs out.

"Alright, quiet time, you two," Blake admonished them as she flipped her book open.

"You heard the lady, monkey boy." Yang said, kicking back her chair.

"Yes, ma'ams..." Sun said quietly to himself, taking a sip from his drink.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Story notes - Blake having claws is obviously non-cannon. In my defense; first, there's genetic precedence, and second, I always had wished the Faunus would be slightly more bestial. Just being a person with funny ears always felt uncompelling as a basis for widespread discrimination, so there will likely be more emphasis in this story on some of the physical disparities that make said racism seem a bit more believable.

Music o' the day: Isunova, by ES Posthumus.


End file.
